A Forged Wedding
by mistyhollowdrummer
Summary: Modern AU, based off of the Japanese game: "I... Don't think I heard you right. What did you just ask me, Rivaille?" "I'm asking you to marry me for a month. How did you not hear me right?" (Rated M for later chapters, mentions of other pairings)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so I seriously wasn't going to upload this until I was finished with the whole series (I'm only on chapter 5 so far), but I was like screw it. So here you go. XD I actually got this idea from a game with the same name, and while the whole story isn't about a wedding, but a marriage instead, I'm still keeping this name. I like it. XD I couldn't get through the game though. :1 Darn... Oh well! I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years eve and day! Have a wonderful year as well. ^^ Please don't forget to review and tell me what you thought of this fanfic! Please follow if you enjoyed it so you can keep updated with it! I hope to hear from you all soon!**

**-Misty**

**Song of the day: Black Tinker Bell**

**By: Chocolate**

* * *

**A Forged Wedding****  
**

* * *

**Modern AU, based off of the Japanese game:****  
****"I... Don't think I heard you right. What did you just ask me, Rivaille?"****  
****"I'm asking you to marry me for a month. How did you not hear me right?"****  
**

* * *

**Rated M for sexual content, adult language, violence, mentions of child abuse****  
****Couple: Riren (Rivaille and Eren)****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack On Titan)****  
**

* * *

** Chapter 1:****  
****The Proposal****  
**

* * *

If I were to list off the most embarrassing, most humiliating, most awkward, and by far, the _stupidest_ moments I've ever been through in my life, this whole month would be the first and most important thing on my list. I've never been through anything like this in my life, and I'm not sure if I can ask anyone for help, because I am positive that no one has ever been through a situation like this. I can't even go to my best friend for help, because... Well, I can't even tell people the real story behind my situation.

I bet you're wondering what I'm talking about, huh? Well, I wish I did too. I guess I can start from the beginning though. It may help everyone if I try to straighten this out, including myself.

You see, I work at this big law firm centered in the most crowded and overdrawn city in this state. That's right, New York City. It sucks all hell for parking, but it pays well, and it's getting me and my sister through college. I don't do any of the serious business the rats- Er… I mean _lawyers_ do, I'm an assistant to one though, and boy, he is the definition of a lawyer.

His name is Rivaille. A lot of the people in our office call him Levi, and on occasion I do too, but only when I'm not paying too much attention and I forget who it is I'm talking to. I really try not to, because he gives me this look, a look that says, "If you call me that again, I'm going to throttle you." I dared to call him short one time while talking to Petra and Hanji during break. I didn't know he walked into the room.

Suffice it to say, I couldn't walk straight for a week.

It's true, he is short, but he's utterly terrifying. He has these eyes on him that, even if he's trying, couldn't look happy. He couldn't make them softer, couldn't make them widen even a little, whether he's shocked or not, and at some times, I honestly thought he couldn't blink. If he did, he did it while I wasn't looking or he blinked too fast. I can't really be too sure.

He also can make you feel about three feet tall, even if you're the taller one. I'm taller by five or six inches, and every day I am reduced to the fetal position at my desk and hoping he'll walk away. I don't know how he does it. It's possible that it's because he really will kick anyone's ass if they mess up in any way or do anything to insult him. His motto is that pain is the best form of discipline. I can tell you right now that he's tried proving that to me about twenty-two times so far. I lost count after that.

I know what you're thinking. Why am I working for a man like this, and then why am I putting up with it? Why am I taking this mental _and physical_ abuse and simply letting him beat me on an almost daily basis?

Like I said before, both my sister and I are in college, so this job pays my way through it. We both pay rent and have to buy our own food too, because we both live on our own. We've been on our own since we were about sixteen when our parents passed away. She is adopted into my family, so she's lost two sets of parents. The mental anguish is nothing much anymore, but having to take care of ourselves is a constant reminder of it.

So there you have it. I stay by this sadistic lawyer's side so I can get a better life. Ironic, considering he may just end it at any minute.

It's not that I hate him. On the contrary, I actually look up to Levi. I admire him, because he is a hard worker. There isn't a time I've seen him where he isn't working on something important. Strangely enough, he makes me want to work harder just by watching him do it. I feel like I can accomplish something, anything really, because if he can do it, then so can I. So it's not all too bad working for him, however, I can say this for sure; after that day a month ago, I really, _really_ wonder why I keep this job myself.

I don't want to say something cheesy like, "It started on a sunny Saturday morning," but I guess setting the tone would be good. On the contrary to the previous statement, it was a dark and raining Monday afternoon. Power had come and gone a couple of times in our office, and people were on edge, but only because they wanted to go home. I was no exception. After the third time the power flickered (and inevitably making me lose the document I was working on) I was about ready to get up, grab my bag, and leave myself.

I cursed at my computer, threw my hands up into the air, and grunted with defeat. I had been working on that document for Levi for two hours now. There was an auto save function, but only if I ever saved. Two hours of work down the drain, two hours to which he'll force me to make up.

"God damn it," I growled and pulled my legs up into my chair.

"Did you lose your work too?" I lifted my head up from my knees and saw Petra, Erwin's assistant (Levi's boss), looking over the divider leading to her personal office. Her nose barely peeked over the side of the divider, her hair barely curling on the edge and her big, brown eyes staring at me in the dark. I found it slightly cute, because the divider wasn't tall, in fact, it was a few inches shorter than me, but Petra was about five foot four, just a bit taller than Levi.

"Yeah, and it fucking sucks." I whined and rolled my neck back to crack it. Petra lingered for a moment at the divider before leaving it in favor of standing with me. She held up a small package of something, but in the dark I couldn't see anything.

"Here, have some." She offered and nudged it forward.

"I can't see it. What is it?" I asked and pulled the mysterious item from her.

"It's just chocolate. I thought you could use a little pick me up." She said with a smile. I smiled back at her, a sigh of relief leaving my lips.

"Have I ever told you that you're my favorite person, Petra?" I asked. She giggled into her hand and went back to her office, but she peered over the divider once more.

"Yes, but you could stand to say it a little more." She said. I chuckled as I went about eating the chocolate she'd given me. It wasn't a special chocolate or overly expensive, but man, what a stress reliever. This little piece of chocolate and heaven was the perfect pick me up.

"Well, you're my favorite person. Thank you for this, I really needed it." I said while waving it at her. The lights in the building flickered, but they didn't turn back on. I heard her groan on the other side in her office, but she waved her hand over the side of the wall for me in appreciation.

"Can't we just go home already?" I could hear the complaint come from the next office over. I rolled out on my fun wheelie chair a bit to see Aurou with his head on his desk and his butt just barely in his chair. He looked as if he was about ready to fall asleep, and I don't blame him. We all could use it.

This new case we were working on was driving us nuts. Divorce cases are the worst kind, leaving us tired and grumpy with our own lives. People bring that crap to us and we suffer for it. We ended up with one divorce here already because of a previous one brought in, and that in turn brought on a whole bunch of awkwardness to the table, because the people who got divorced were Petra and Levi.

In all honesty, they never seemed to lovey dovey to begin with. I thought, at first, that it was because they were trying to keep professional at work. I heard later from Hanji that they had a few problems at home. When a case for a divorce came in, they ended their relationship as well. It came as a bit of a shock, and it was also saddening, but they were very adult about it. They broke up quietly, no arguing and no fighting, and it's been that way since. They talk to each other like longtime friends now, and surprisingly enough, they look a bit happier being friends than being married. Well, Petra did. It's hard to make Levi look happy.

"Hang in there, we're almost done." I said to Aurou. He groaned into his mouse pad and pulled his phone out. The brightness of his screen nearly blinded me in the dark, so I ended up back in my office. When I felt the chocolate break in my hand, I went back and held it out for him. "Want some chocolate?" I asked.

"Psh, no. I don't want any of your nasty chocolate." He waved at me with the bright light of his phone, making me wince and retract my hand.

"Alright, but Petra gave it to me." I said with a small sigh.

"W-Wait!" He called out. I looked at him as he held out his hand. "Never mind, I'll have some. Why would I deny a kind gesture from a good friend?" He asked with a nervous laugh. I rolled my eyes and placed some chocolate in his hand.

It figured. It wasn't much of a secret in the office that Aurou cared for Petra. The only people who didn't seem to notice the affection was them themselves, but they were always oblivious to it. Aurou always acted like Levi, a bit of a childish thing to do, but he didn't seem to care. Petra, however, seemed to find it disconcerting. He didn't seem to notice that either.

I had a feeling that she thought he was making fun of her and their fallen relationship, which he wasn't, but that's what she perceived, and he was too blind and stupid to look at it in that way and apologize. I'm sure he doesn't mean it, but he doesn't see it either.

"Chocolate from Petra," He quietly cheered in his office next to me. I rolled my eyes again, and then snickered when I heard him yelp in pain. No doubt he'd bitten his tongue again. "Ouch!" He cried.

"Good, maybe he'll bleed to death." I heard Petra grumble from her office. I decided to ignore them, because if I got into the middle of that, it'd be the end of me. They'd kill me before Levi could even get his chance. I'd rather live to see a sunny sky tomorrow, thank you very much.

The lights flickered again. I groaned in agitation and leaned back in my chair with my forearm over my eyes, hoping that either the power would eventually come on or we could just go home, because this was ridiculous. There's no point at being at work when there's absolutely nothing to do. Sure, there's stuff to do, but we can't do anything in the dark, and our work is mainly on computers, which leaves us only with paperwork that needs to be filed. I can't do that in the dark and neither can anyone else here. We aren't robots; we can't do everything we're told no matter the atmosphere.

I sighed as I lifted my arm away from my face. There was a bright light in my face all of a sudden, and behind that bright light was a horrifyingly white face with bright, neon-pink paint, and big, black eyes staring down at me. I screamed bloody murder and fell out of my chair, but once recovering from the fall, I could hear the all too familiar laughter of Erwin's second assistant behind the mask she'd been wearing.

"That's not funny, Hanji!" I barked at her. Said women pulled the mask off of her face and set it down on my desk, revealing her laughing face that was near tears from the humor of my fright.

"I-I'm sorry, Eren! It was just too easy!" She cried through her laughter. She was practically leaning over my desk for support, her hand at her stomach as the stitches began crushing her ribs. Good, maybe that'll teach her not to do that again.

I growled as I got up from the floor and pushed her off of my chair. She then ended up on the floor to finish the rest of her laughter while I patted myself off and sat back down.

"I'm glad to see you find this funny." I grumbled. She finished her laughter off with some small giggles that she could barely hide, but it was enough for her to get herself standing up again and for the tears to stop flowing from her glassy, brown eyes.

"I'm sorry, Eren, I really am. I actually came over here to tell you something, but I saw the opportunity and took it." She flashed a big grin at me, a few more contorted giggles leaving her as she pulled her glasses off to rub her wet cheeks.

"What was it you wanted to tell me?" I asked, all too _not _amused. Hanji finished her giggling and put her glasses back on so she could see again.

"I was just talking with Levi. He wants to see you in his office now." She said rather somber like. I dropped my head back against my chair and groaned.

"I knew this job wouldn't last long." I griped and stood up.

"I'm sure that's not it, Eren. He probably wants to ask you about the documents he sent you." Petra said over the divider.

"Those are the ones I just lost!" I whined and pointed to the black screen of my dead computer.

"Oh..." She mumbled.

"You're done for," Aurou said from his office. I childishly stuck my tongue out at him, though he didn't see the gesture. I stood up from my chair and looked over myself, making sure my appearance was okay before I turned to the others.

"Any words of advice?" I asked hopelessly.

"Don't bend over." Aurou said again. I scoffed in his direction and turned back to the two girls staring at me.

"Well...?" I prompted.

"We loved you, Eren." Petra said somberly.

"We'll miss having you around." Hanji bowed her head and removed her glasses, as if praying for the dead.

Oh whoopee.

"Thanks guys, I really appreciate it." I waved a flaccid hand at them and dragged my feet to Levi's office.

What could he possibly want? Was it really about those documents? I can't help that the power cut out all of my hard work; although, I could have bothered to save them at some point. He wouldn't fire me over something small like that... Right?

... I'm screwed.

I reached Rivaille's door and gave an audible sigh. I reached a hand up to knock, but hesitated for a moment. I looked down at myself one more time, and then ran my fingers through my hair. Rivaille had a terrible penchant for cleanliness, and not just around the office. Everyone always had to look their best, and by best, he wanted clean. I was so tired last night that I didn't take a shower; I hope that's not what this is about.

I nodded once I felt that I was as _presentable_ as presentable could be. I knocked on the door and waited. There was a few seconds of a pause before someone called for me to come in. I did as told, stepping into the clean and perfect office before shutting the door behind me.

"You wanted to see me, Rivaille?" I asked. Levi was leaning against the edge of his desk, looking outside the wall-length windows to watch the rain fall. The curtains had been drawn back, letting light into the room. It wasn't much, but it was enough so I could see his dark silhouette against his desk.

"Yeah, I did," He muttered in the deep voice of his. He looked away from the window and back at me, his gray eyes seeming to shine in the darkness and making me shiver with fear. "Come here, Jaeger." He said and motioned for me towards him with his hand. I did as told and walked up to him with my hands nervously clenching by my sides.

"Sir, if this is about the documents with the Thompson family, I lost them when the power went out! I was only a few pages to being done, I swear!" I suddenly blurted out. I was nervous; I couldn't help it. I know this case was causing grief with everyone, so I knew that if I messed up, I'd only cause more stress for everybody.

"That's not what this is about... Although I'll have to make sure to deduct an hour of pay from your paycheck for that." Levi said nonchalantly. My shoulders slumped in defeat from that; I knew something like this would happen. He's a complete sadist. "I need to ask a favor from you."

"What can I help you with?" I asked dejectedly. Levi pushed himself off of his desk and slowly walked over to the windows, his arms crossing over his chest like he was deep in thought and his quiet footsteps against the carpet being the only sound in the room I could hear. He remained quiet for a moment, his eyes watching the rain fall outside like a hurricane. His foot tapped at the floor for a moment, a quirk I noticed a long time ago that he does when he's particularly irritated with something. Just my luck.

"My great grandparents are coming from France to visit me." Levi spoke up. I stepped closer to him, not wanting to be rude from mishearing him.

"Okay," I mumbled, a little drawled out to show my confusion. "Your _great _grandparents?" I asked.

"Yes, my grandmother is ninety-eight years old and my grandfather just turned one hundred and one a week ago." Levi said. He really didn't sound all too enthusiastic about the ordeal, I'm not sure why though. I'd be rather ecstatic to hear that my _great _grandparents, who had lived a century, would be coming to visit me... That would be if I had any.

"That's impressive," I said as enthusiastically as I could.

"Yes, it is," Levi uttered.

"It must be something to be so old, but still be traveling." I continued.

"I've never had the time to talk to them about stuff like that. My grandmother just got into a wheelchair, but my grandfather is still walking. They both wanted to see me for his birthday." He explained.

"That's a great idea. I mean, you only turn one hundred and one once, and who knows how long he'll have left?" I asked. Levi glared at me from the corner of his eyes, staring me down to three feet again from the comment. I hadn't meant to insult anyone; I was just making a point. I bowed my head down apologetically, mumbling a short apology for the comment.

"It's alright. Sometimes I question the same thing, that's why I said it was okay for them to come by." He said, turning his gaze back to the chaos outside. I relaxed when freed from his gaze, my shoulders slumping again. "I think it's about time for a visit. I haven't seen them for over ten years."

"So... Am I going to pick them up from the airport or something?" I asked while tilting my head.

"No, that's not it." He tapped his foot on the floor again.

"What's the favor then?" I asked.

"You see, a few weeks ago, while I was on the phone with my grandmother, she was asking me about how my life was going. She asked me about how my job was, how my friends were doing, all of that stuff." He started. "She asked me if I had anyone special in my life since Petra and I got a divorce, and I was stupid enough to tell her that I did." He continued.

"I didn't know you were seeing someone." I mumbled.

"I'm not; I was just saying that to make her happy. That was before we planned for them to come see me. I had told her I had gotten married again, eloped really, and she was ecstatic to hear it." He said. "But now they're coming down to see me, and they expect to meet the person who scooped me off of my feet."

"Oh, that really is a problem." I muttered. "I don't understand though, what is it you need my help with?" I asked. Levi tapped his foot once more before turning his whole body in my direction. He looked up at me with a rather confused expression, like he didn't know the answer himself, but he made it clear with his next words.

"I need you to marry me, Eren."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, so I was originally going to wait until next weekend to upload this, but I got so many reviews and follows on the first day along, I thought I would surprise you with one more chapter. :) But only this one! No more until next weekend! X'D But seriously everyone, thank you so much for those reviews, favorites, and follows. It means a lot, and that was probably the biggest burst of "popularity" (I don't like using that word here) that I've ever gotten when it comes to my fanfiction. I'm glad to see that everyone is liking the plot and story. Please continue those reviews so I can continue writing! I love it all, so thank you all so much. ^^ Alright, no more fanfiction for this girl (I've got to upload one more thing, but that's besides the point XD). Have a great weekend! See you all next week!**

**-Misty**

**Song of the Day: Venus**

**By: Shinwa**

* * *

**A Forged Wedding****  
**

* * *

**Modern AU, based off of the Japanese game:****  
****"I... Don't think I heard you right. What did you just ask me, Rivaille?"****  
****"I'm asking you to marry me for a month. How did you not hear me right?"****  
**

* * *

**Rated M for sexual content, adult language, violence, mentions of child abuse****  
****Couple: Riren (Rivaille and Eren)****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack On Titan)****  
**

* * *

**Chapter 2:****  
****Time to Think for Marriage**

* * *

"Uh..." I uttered, my eyes wide and staring down into Levi's with amazement. "I... I don't think I heard you right. I swear I just heard you ask me to marry you." I started laughing nervously, rubbing the back of my neck and looking away to the rain pouring outside the window.

"I did." Levi replied. I laughed again, looking his way to see his face, but his facade hadn't changed since I walked in. My hand fell from my neck and back to my side, where it stayed as Levi stared me down again.

"I.. Don't think I heard you right." I repeated in a quieter tone. "What did you just ask me, Rivaille?"

"I'm asking you to marry me for a month. How did you not hear me right?" He asked while tilting his head. I tried laughing again, but that face...

He was serious.

"Y-You're asking me... To-"

"I need you to be married to me while my grandparents are in America." He stated. I swallowed a thick lump of something in my throat that was constricting my breathing. "It's just for a few weeks."

"N-No, I can't! Levi, this... This is crazy!" I blurted out.

"If you stopped panicking for a minute and think about it, you'd see that it's not as crazy as you're making it out to be." Levi spoke calmly, like what he was telling me wasn't the craziest thing anyone had ever heard.

"Why can't you ask someone like Petra to do this?" I asked, stepping back to pace across his clean, carpeted floor.

"How ironic would that be? My new wife is the one I got a divorce with." Levi muttered.

"Hanji? What about Hanji?" I asked.

"And give my grandparents a heart attack? I'd rather not." He immediately shot down my idea.

"W-What about Erwin? He's a good man!" I pointed out.

"He's my boss." Levi stated bluntly. The statement got me to stop dead in my tracks. I looked him dead in the eye, my mouth falling open to his words.

_"Y-You're my boss!"_ I snapped at him.

"Yeah, what's your point?" He asked. I dropped my head and groaned.

This was all too much, too much too soon. He wants to marry me... _Me?_ No, that's not right. He's my boss and I'm his assistant; that's how our relationship is supposed to work, nothing more, nothing less.

"Eren, I need your help." Levi said, trying to catch my eye. I turned away from him and shook my head. I raised my hands and shook them, trying to put space between us, space that he kept closing off.

"No, no, no, I-I can't. No way!" I backed up into his office couch and jumped over the rim to get distance between us.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I can't stay here. I-I need to go home." I pushed through his office door and bolted down the corridor to my office. I didn't hear him call after me or chase me, so that was a bit of a relief. I didn't even bother looking back to see if he was even watching me. I just kept running and running, nearly missing my own office in the progress.

My eyes burned, but I didn't know why. It just hurt to keep my eyes open. My chest was aching with pressure that my lungs couldn't handle. My heart was beating so fast and hard within my chest and it felt like it was about to snap my ribs in half. I couldn't handle this, I couldn't.

"Eren, what happened?" I lifted my head when hearing Petra's voice. She was looking at me from her phone, her face showing pure concern for me. I looked away, suddenly feeling an overwhelming amount of guilt hit me like waves of an ocean floor.

This was Petra, Levi's ex-wife. Levi just asked me to marry him, and here is sweet and lovely Petra worrying over me. No, no, no, I can't handle that. Please don't look at me like that.

"N-Nothing, I uh... I just got a call from my sister. She got into a car accident and had to go to the hospital." I improvised.

Oh forgive me for using you, Mikasa.

"Oh no, that's terrible." Petra murmured with her hand up at her lips.

"She's okay, b-but I'm leaving to go check on her." I said quietly while grabbing my bag from my office.

"Is Levi okay with that?" She asked. I didn't answer. I didn't know and I didn't care. All I cared about was getting the hell out of here and going home. I needed to think and I needed to relax, and that is what I planned to do.

I left her behind with no answers. She called for me, but I didn't answer. I ignored her kindness and left, running out into the parking lot and getting into my car before even the building security could stop me. I locked the doors and rolled up my windows to prevent the rain from getting into my car. I then clipped my seatbelt in place and drove out of the parking lot into the nearly blinding rain.

"Shit," I cursed and hit my stealing wheel. "What the hell...?" I quietly questioned myself.

None of this made sense to me. A sudden marriage proposal from my boss... This is like something from a movie! Is that what my life is supposed to be like now? Is this somehow a funny trick from God? This isn't funny!

I tried calming down, I did, but I simply couldn't. I knew I had to, but it was so hard.

I nearly hit the car in front of me at a red light. I came to a screeching halt, and so did my thoughts. My eyes widened in surprise, but not from the near car accident I almost caused. Well, that too. I was surprised at myself for letting this get the best of me, and then nearly killing myself or some innocent family. This isn't like me. I'd never let some stupid situation get the better of me, no matter what was going on.

Great, now I'm lying to myself. I'd definitely let something like this get to me, but I'd never get others involved. I don't want anyone else getting mixed into this... This... Whatever _this_ is.

I cracked open my car window to get some fresh air and breathed deeply. I'm in New York City, so of course it's not clean, but it's as clean as I can get. I let the sounds of the rain calm my nerves and wash away my worries. Yeah, what just happened was crazy, but it's not something I can't handle. If Levi didn't fire me for leaving early or scuffing up his floor with my pacing, I'd walk into work tomorrow like nothing happened. He's my boss and I'm his assistant, and that's that.

The light turned green and I continued driving. I kept focused on that, not wanting to be the one that got into a car accident after falsely using my sister as an excuse to get out of work. That was all I needed, to explain myself to my boss and have Mikasa be even more overprotective and overbearing.

The drive ended up being shorter than it normally was. Less traffic and red lights meant I got home faster. As soon as I stepped through the door of our apartment, I fell to the floor and broke into pieces. My bones were shaking for more reasons other than just being cold. I had calmed down substantially, but I was still messed up. This was completely and totally nuts.

I couldn't help but wonder, but was this a prank? Was today April Fool's day? Was this some sort of sadistic joke Levi liked to pull on others? If that was the case, then haha, he got me, but he seemed so serious. Levi is no actor; he can't even pull off a smile.

Was he drunk? No, I've seen him drunk before at company parties, and even then he's relatively sober. It takes a lot to get that man drunk, and when he is drunk, he tends to call people by names that are practically illegal and that's about it.

This had to be a prank. Maybe my sister was setting me up? I've pulled pranks on her before, maybe she's just getting back at me for all of the things I did to her, but then I remember that Mikasa and Levi don't get along very well. Correction, she _hates_ his guts. I don't think Levi has anything against her, so I don't know if he really cares at all for her, but she really does hate him. She hates the way he treats me, so I don't see how she could possibly try working with the guy just to get back at me.

Then what the hell is this? What's going on? I don't understand this. I need to think, and in order to do that, I need to calm down.

I stood up from the floor and picked up the things I dropped. I kicked off my wet shoes and pushed them to the side with my stuff. I then pulled the jacket of my suit off and set it out on the kitchen counter as I walked in. My first steps were to the coffee maker. I needed something to wake me up, and coffee was the perfect thing. There was still some coffee in the pot left over from this morning, a wonderful gift from god. I poured myself a mug of it and stuffed it in the microwave to heat it up.

Once it had been heated up, I filled it with some milk and sugar and relished in the taste. I really didn't like coffee, but I could feel it warming up my bones and kicking my body into gear. It slid down my throat and warmed me up, making my cold, achy, and tense muscles relax. God, did it feel good. This was just what I needed for sure.

I sighed and walked back to the front door with my coffee. The mail was sitting in the basket, waiting to be opened. I scooped it up and flipped through it. Bills, bills, and more bills, a letter from my friend Marco who was in college now with an old... Eh, _friend,_ Jean. The last time I got to talk to Marco, he said he and Jean were getting along really well. They had brought of the subject of marriage once or twice since then.

Great, more marriage, just what I need to hear about. I sighed as I put the mail back into the basket. I left that area in favor of being in the living room, hoping to drown myself in cartoons. That was my plan, but then something caught my eye. I looked over to the hutch standing by the dining table, my eyes falling onto the pictures of my family. I smiled as I picked up one of the pictures, the one I considered my favorite.

It was a picture of Mikasa and I with my mother. She had gotten us bikes for Christmas and we were screaming and yelling with joy. That had been my first bike, and that was what the picture was of, me fawning over my bike.

I ran my fingers over the photo of my mother in the background. She was smiling and happy, though sleep was still evident on her features. Her hair tossed over one shoulder in a loose pony tail, loose because Mikasa and I had pulled her and my father out of bed to go open presents Santa had brought us. I think it was about four in the morning when we did that, and despite their protests, we couldn't possibly wait any long. After all, we had been up all night.

I knew the bike was from my mother. As I got older, I pieced together what happened. Adding with the fact that there was no such thing as Santa (though I believed in his spirit), I found out that when this picture was taken, just before it, mom had sold her wedding dress to afford our gifts. The two ways I found that out were simple; one: Because I never saw the thing in the house again, and two: because I overheard her talking on the phone about it.

She had done so much for me, even going so far as to selling her wedding dress for me and Mikasa. Mikasa was adopted, not even her blood, and yet she still went so far for us. Times were tough, but she kept on that smile of hers and acted like everything was alright, when in reality, things couldn't have gotten any worse. I saw it more as I got older, but she blinded me from all the real issues as a child, making sure my childhood was as much of a normal one as possible. She worked herself to the bone for that, and I never got to truly thank her for it…

And I missed her so much.

"Mom, what am I going to do?" I asked the photo. I knew I wouldn't get an answer, but it helped me. I do it sometimes when I need help. Sometimes I get the answers on my own just by talking and sometimes I don't, but it makes me feel better. It makes me feel like she's still here with me. I know it's an odd thing, but it works for me.

"I just got proposed to today... By my _boss._ I know that's shocking, right? Except he only wants the marriage for a month, and to make his grandparents happy... I'd like to help, but I don't think that it's right." I smiled as I set the picture back down on my hutch. I sat at the dining table so I didn't have to stand and sipped at my coffee.

"You know, mom, I still follow what you told me. You're supposed to be married to someone you truly love and respect. You should be happy that it stuck. It just shows you that I listened." When I was younger, my mother always stressed the importance of marriage with the right person. It had to be with someone you truly loved from the bottom of your heart and never wanted to live without. That's what I grew up believing, though I always feigned ignorance and disinterest when she spoke about it.

"I don't feel that way about Levi. I-I want to help, but marriage?" I sighed and rolled my head back. The coffee had settled now, calming me down profoundly. It made it easier to think, but now I was weighting the pros and cons about going through with it. Helping him made his grandparents happy, and it probably put me in with my boss better, but lying to make them happy? I could barely lie to begin with, just ask my sister.

"Look at me, mom. I'm actually considering marrying my boss so I can help him out. Looks like your lessons in kindness stuck too." I remarked with a smile. The quietness sunk into the room, but it didn't last long. "I'm not so thick-headed anymore, am I?"

The doorbell rang, interrupting my thought process and totally ruining the quiet that was getting rid of my anxiety. I groaned audibly, sitting up from my spot to go answer the door.

"Hey mom, maybe that's my boss coming to talk to me." I looked back at the picture frame and laughed at my stupid joke.

I thought it was funny; I really didn't expect to see my boss standing at the door when I opened it. He was simply standing there, looking at me while his umbrella was over his head and keeping him dry. My mouth practically hit the floor while I looked at him. I couldn't bring myself to say anything; I couldn't even invite him in to get him out of the rain.

"Jaeger," He said flatly. I turned my head in the direction of the living room, my eyes falling on my mother's picture. I was about ready to scream back at the inanimate object that it had just been a joke and that my mother's sense of humor still overly sucked, but Rivaille spoke before I could do that, which I consider a good thing. It would look weird for someone to yell at a photo. "Can I come in?" He asked in his normal, bored tone.

I nodded my head, the only thing I could do in my shocked state, and opened the door for him. I stepped out of the way as he walked in, closing his umbrella and leaving it outside in a polite manner so he didn't drag water into the apartment. He took off his shoes and set them down where I had set mine (tossed mine really) and walked into the living room. I followed him closely behind, wondering if he was going to speak up soon or if I had to do that for him. He seemed to be observing my place from top to bottom, however, since he had never been here before, so I knew I'd have to do it eventually.

"You followed me home?" It was one of those comments that were more of a question and a statement more than simply a question. I wasn't sure if I was asking him it or telling him it.

"I left a little after to you did." Levi mumbled, his eyes still observing the place.

"How did you know where I live then?" This was a question, although I wasn't sure if I wanted an answer.

"I pulled your address up from your file." He answered, finally looking at me for a moment.

"Isn't that illegal?" I'm pretty sure it was, but I wanted to ask just in case.

"That's not important." Gee, good answer. "Eren, I still need your help." He said. Well wasn't he in a hurry to get my answer. I looked away quickly at his words, my eyes falling to the ground in a pitiful admission of my embarrassment.

"Why do you want my help anyway? Isn't there someone else who can help you?" I asked. Levi stepped a little closer to hear me, considering that I mumbled under my breath.

"Because I need _your_ help. You're the only person who can help me, Eren, and I really need your help." He stated boldly. I swallowed in more embarrassment, my eyes looking towards the pictures of my mother.

I could really use your help, mom.

"But... Marriage? That's nuts!" I threw my hands up in an exasperated motion as I exclaimed. Levi tilted his head, and for a moment, just a moment, I saw an emotion go across his face. It was confused, slightly dumbfounded, and berating even.

"It's not a real marriage; you know that, right?" He asked. My shoulders slumped over and my mouth nearly dropped.

"… W-What do you mean?" I asked.

"It wouldn't be a real marriage. It'd be a fake marriage. We wouldn't really be married together." He explained.

"You couldn't have said that _sooner?_" I suddenly barked at him while my hands clenched into fists by my sides.

"I thought I did," He mumbled.

If he wasn't my boss, I'd hit him. I would beat the ever living shit out of him.

"No, you neglected to mention that little detail in your plan." I growled.

"It'd be a fake marriage. We'd have fake wedding bands, a fake marriage certificate, and things like that. We wouldn't really be tied together." He said, that confused look leaving his face. I felt like hundreds of pounds of weight were lifted off of my shoulders. This was such a relief to me that I couldn't have been happier, but it still left the problem of lying to his great grandparents and deceiving them. I'm not sure if that was something I was willing to do.

"I'm sorry for not making it clear earlier." He apologized.

"Uh..." I uttered. Great, now I'm really thinking about it. "I just... This still isn't right to me." I finally said.

"It's not right? What do you mean by that?" Levi asked, his foot tapping at the floor. Now I'm really irritating him, which wasn't what I wanted.

"You're asking me to lie to your great grandparents and pretend I'm your husband? That's not right! I can't do that to them. What did they do to deserve that?" I asked. Levi got another one of those odd looks on his face, like he was confused, but now he looked as if he was thinking hard about something. I went quiet, waiting for him to speak his mind, although, I was wondering if he even had one at this point.

"Well... If we were in a relationship, you'd be the wife, not me." He said. I smacked my palm into my forehead. I can't believe he said it with such a straight face, because I could barely keep my eyes from popping out of their sockets. Was he honestly serious about that? He didn't look like he was joking, that's for sure!

"L-Levi, I can't, I just can't do this. It's not right. It goes against what I was raised to believe." I waved my hand at him and sighed as I walked over to the couch. He followed me closely, but when I sat down, he continued standing.

"How does it do that?" Levi asked while looking down at me, his hands slipping into his pockets.

"I was raised to believe that, when you marry someone, it's because you love them from the bottom of your heart! You're supposed to know each other inside and out and care for each other so much that you can't stand the thought of them not even being there for something important like a birthday!" I preached. "Even if this is a fake marriage and it means nothing, I just... I can't do it!" I concluded.

I heard him huff above me. I looked up at him, watching as the older man looked away with an expression that said he couldn't really believe what he just heard come out of my mouth. I know it's probably out of character for me, but that's what I grew up believing and that's how I'll always feel. I can't change my mind about it just for him, and I didn't plan to.

"I can't believe this." He groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his pointer finger and thumb. I frowned at his words and stood up.

"Is something wrong with that?" I asked, my foot stomping ever so slightly. He looked at me with that expression still on his face, clicking his tongue at me, and rolling his eyes.

"You're really going to make me do this, aren't you, Jaeger?" He asked.

"Do what? I'm not making you do anything." I dared to say. Levi rolled his eyes again and pulled his hand from his pocket.

"I'm getting too old for this shit." He grumbled while getting down on one knee. I watched, my hands trembling slightly as he took one into his smaller, but still rough hands and looked up at me with a pleading look (as pleading as someone like Levi could look).

"W-What are you-" I couldn't finish. I was cut off by his words.

"Eren, will you marry me?" He asked.

And I kid you not, I fainted.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Oh my goodness you guys, I cannot believe how many reviews, favorites, and follows I'm getting for this story. I am absolutely in love with it! I honestly take it as like a high. XD Please, keep writing those reviews, because I ish getting high off of them! XD No, not really, but they are like a drug, they honestly are. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Thank you guys so much. ^^ Please followers, keep reviewing! It lets me know how you think of the story and if there are things I can improve on. More humor, less? Not enough romance or drama? Are there grammatical errors and what not? Is it too fast or too slow? Or just in general, are you enjoying the story? Please, let me know. To answers some questions that have come up: Yes, I have played the game. I have played a few of the demo characters, but I didn't have money, nor did I know how much they were, so I didn't continue from there. XD Alright, I've said enough! Have a wonderful weekend!**

**Song of the day: Pomp and Circumstance**

**By: Kamiya Hiroshi**

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**A Forged Wedding****  
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**Modern AU, based off of the Japanese game:****  
****"I... Don't think I heard you right. What did you just ask me, Rivaille?"****  
****"I'm asking you to marry me for a month. How did you not hear me right?"****  
**

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**Rated M for sexual content, adult language, violence, mentions of child abuse****  
****Couple: Riren (Rivaille and Eren)****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack On Titan)****  
**

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**Chapter 3:**

**The Living Arrangement**

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I still couldn't believe I fainted, and in front of my boss that had just gotten down on one knee and proposed to me. I know now that it means nothing and I know that he was just humoring me, but he's got a terrible sense of humor... Kind of like my mom.

I woke up to him, and to my surprise, Mikasa. Apparently I had been out long enough for her to come home and see me on the ground and out cold. As always, she panicked, worried and fussed over me, and when I got up she nearly hit Levi dead in the face. It's a good thing he has fast reflexes or she would have broken his nose.

He explained to her that I wasn't feeling well at work and he brought me home, where I then fainted from a fever. The lie worked and she believed it, but she was convinced that Levi had made me sick somehow. I ignored the two; I didn't need to hear them bicker.

After all of that, I still had no answer for Levi. Mikasa had walked out of the room to get a wet washcloth for me (I didn't argue with her, because I needed a minute to talk with Levi) and I attempted standing up, to which I fell back onto the couch. Levi felt my head for a fever, but I swatted him away.

"Please don't do that. I get enough of it from Mikasa." I grumbled irritably.

"I'm sorry... I didn't think you'd faint." He apologized quietly.

"Neither did I," I mumbled. Mikasa came back in with a small basin of water and a few wash cloths for me. I flinched from her touch and fussed over it, but ultimately, she won in the end. She patted my head with the damp cloth, wiping away sweat that I hadn't noticed formed on me at some point.

She sat by me while she did that, one hand holding mine with an overbearing worry. I could feel her anger towards Levi being emitted from her body while she was taking care of me, and I barely saw the glare she was giving him from the corner of her black eyes. Damn she was pissed.

"I told you, Mikasa, I'm fine." I huffed.

"Hush up." She scolded and pressed the cloth to my neck. The cold was shocking, but slightly relieving. "You were fine yesterday, why do you suddenly have a fever now?" She asked quietly. I had a feeling that she was asking that to herself more than me or Levi, because it was nearly a whisper.

"I didn't sleep too well last night." I mumbled, hoping that she'd believe it.

"You're going to bed early tonight." She suddenly commanded. I flinched at her harsh tone and dropped my head.

"Okay," I grumbled. There was no use trying to fight her. If I didn't do what she asked, she'd more than likely force me into bed and then lay there with me until I fell asleep. I'm too old for that crap. It may have been cute when we were five, but at twenty years old, it's just plain creepy.

"I want you drinking a lot of water too." She added.

"Mikasa, not in front of my boss," I whined. She tugged on my ear, eliciting a painful cry from me, and then begging, which then turned to me completely obeying her. Levi merely stared at the two of us, not even pausing in the blank stare of his to smile, smirk, or even yawn. Was he even _breathing?_

"I want you taking some allergy medicine too, just in case this is all allergies." She said.

"I don't think we have any left." I mumbled while rubbing me ear. She groaned to herself and looked at Levi with an irritated stare. She then huffed under her breath and looked at me.

"I'll have to buy some then." She said begrudgingly. I nodded my head as she stood up and grabbed her bag that had been on the floor. "The only reason I'm leaving you here is because I don't want Eren alone, and I don't want him going outside while he's sick either." She pointed to Levi and said.

"Understandable," Levi murmured. Mikasa's eyes twitched before she turned and stalked out of the front door, leaving us alone. She really did hate him. It surprises me sometimes that she hasn't killed him yet.

Regardless, we were alone. I began twiddling my fingers in my lap, my face flushed from his previous words and my head down to ignore his stare. Being alone, I had his full and undivided attention. Damn it...

"Sorry for making you faint," He apologized without a hint of sarcasm.

"I-It's alright..." I sounded horrible. I sounded like a cat that had been stepped on... Not that I would know what one sounds like. "I know you didn't mean to."

_'Although I wonder if you actually enjoy torturing me like this.'_ I thought, and I kept those thoughts down. A few seconds ticked by, the only audible sound being the clock on the wall a few feet from us ticking away as the time passed. It wasn't until Levi gave a heavy sigh that the silence was finally broken.

"Eren, I'm sorry for bringing this up now, but I still need an answer." He said. I could hear the panic lacing his normally stoic tone.

"Can't you just tell them to come in a month or something? By then you should have found someone." I improvised weakly. I was too tired to put up much of a fight anymore, leaving myself tired and quiet.

"I can't do that. They're already on a plane and they'll be here tomorrow. I'm out of time." Levi stressed. I fidgeted in place, my hands tightening their grip around each other.

Levi was in a real jam, wasn't he? He really didn't want to upset his grandparents, but he didn't have time to come up with a better plan. He didn't want to tell them that he really didn't have a partner and break their hearts; hell, they were flying all the way from France to meet whoever it was. I didn't want to upset them either. I'm not cold hearted, but lying and deceiving them to make them happy, and worse, lying about marriage? I don't think I can do that.

"Levi, I-I don't..." I mumbled.

"Eren, I need your help. You're the only one who can help me." Levi scooted closer to me, making me flinch.

"Don't propose to me again. I don't think I'm physically or mentally capable of handling it." I mumbled while looking off to him from the side. I could hear him huff, but I wouldn't call it much of a laugh.

"I won't do it again. Next thing I know you'll be in an ambulance on your way to the hospital." Was he making a joke? Levi could do that? My _boss,_ Rivaille, knew how to makes jokes? "Eren, I don't like to rush things, but I need an answer." He pursued.

"If you don't help me, fine, I'll see what I can come up with, but it'll make my month so much easier if you did this for me." He continued. I opened my mouth to speak, but he beat me to it. "Besides, wasn't it you yourself who said we didn't know how much longer they had left?" He questioned. "Can I bribe you? I'll give you a raise if you want one."

"N-No, I don't need that." I said and shook my head. Another quiet moment passed before Levi spoke up again.

"You and your sister are in college, right?" He asked. This peaked my interest slightly, causing me to lift my head and look at him. I nodded hesitantly, and I could see something flash across his eyes. He must have known that he got my attention. "If you do this for me, I will pay your way through college." He offered.

My eyes widened at the statement. Pay our way through college? Was he being serious? That's such a generous offer; he's really desperate, isn't he?

"I have money to spare and I don't ever use any of it. I'll pay your way through college, even up to a doctoral degree if you want. Whatever money you and your sister need I can give you." He said, staring directly into my green eyes and frowning even more, looking all the more serious.

Would he really do that? That would be just what we needed. We wouldn't have to fret over those damn loans anymore and we wouldn't be forever in debt, and all I had to do was play husband for a while. This was such an opportunity for us, and if I took it, Mikasa wouldn't have to work so hard. She could simply focus on her studies, and so could I. We wouldn't have to be working our asses off for a better life. All I had to do to make things easier was say yes...

I looked down at my hands in my lap again, watching my fingers pick under my nails and around the cuticles. I took a deep breath, my hands shaking as I dared to look up at Rivaille. He still had that same frightening look on his face, the look of someone who had nothing left to lose, the look of someone who was practically defeated...

I think I looked that way when I got this job.

"... Just for a month?" I asked in a mumble.

"Two weeks. If they stayed any longer, I don't know what I'd do." Levi answered rather quickly, as if he felt a tinge of hope rise up from the ashes of my previous rejection. "I can only handle them for so long," He finished. I looked away again and sighed. He tilted his head, once more scooting closer to me until our knees were touching. At some point his arm had snuck its way behind me to rest on the rim of the couch, so with the way he was sitting, I felt trapped.

Was he giving me the option to say no or not?

"Will you help me, Eren?" He asked. I could feel the weight of his stare pushing against my skull.

"... Yes," I finally answered through a thin and tiny breath. I dared to look up again, and I could see the relief fly across his face. He sighed heavily, the burden and worry off of his chest. He almost cracked a smile... _Almost._

He was... Happy? I know he's relieved, but happy? I'm not so sure.

I regret saying yes, I really do, because now I'm running down Time Square and trying to get to Levi's apartment, and I'm already late. Planes are always late, right? They haven't gotten there yet and surely haven't gotten to Levi's place. That would be just what I needed; my first day as a husband and I already piss off my new great grandparents. Wee.

I know where Levi lives, though I've never been to his place. I have the street address and everything, but flagging down a cab is too much. I tried once and nearly got one, but there was an older woman with her child and a newborn, and I didn't want to leave them in the rain like that.

Yep, it's still raining. I'm such a sucker. I know I'm too nice, but I guess that's another thing I got from my mom. If I can make it to Levi's and still have a plan worth doing, then I'll be happy with my decision. Until then I'm kicking my own ass for giving that women my cab.

I bolted down Seventh Avenue and then went down Forty-Sixth Street. I could see the apartment building Levi told me of, and with all of my dwindling energy, I bolted for the place. I got odd looks from people, but I ignored them. This is New York City; I'm not going to be the strangest thing they see today. The only thing that nearly stopped me was the apartment security, which surprised the hell out of me. This must be some fancy place to have such high security.

They only gave me a warning. They told me not to run and that I had to have my backpack checked. I let them, considering I had nothing to hide, and I heeded their warning about the no running policy... Until I got out of their sight that is. I booked it for the elevator, but upon arriving at it, there were so many people crowded around it that I couldn't even see the damn door. I ran for the emergency stairs, knowing running would be faster than waiting for an elevator.

I was right. It was faster. I just wished that Levi didn't live on the twenty-ninth floor.

I was panting by the time I finally got to his floor. By the time I was at his door and knocked, I was bending over my knees, seeing spots in my eyes, and sweating profusely.

'_Yeah, I'm a real catcher. It's easy to see why Levi got married to me.'_

Said man I was just thinking about suddenly opened the door, causing me to look up at him with my big and worried eyes and my mouth ajar to breathe.

"A-Are they here yet?" I asked breathlessly.

"No, their flight was delayed half an hour, because of the rain." Levi answered while opening the door more for me to come in. Hearing the news, I promptly dropped onto the ground, half of my body still in the hallway and the rest in Levi's apartment. I groaned with relief and utter annoyance; he couldn't have texted me that? He has my number! "What took you so long?" He asked and kicked at my side.

I grunted when his attempt to knock the air out of me worked. I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees and crawled the rest of the way in so Levi could close the door.

"My car broke down and I couldn't get a cab. I ended up running all the way here." I let out through my heavy breathing.

"Do you need some water...? Or an inhaler?" Levi asked. I shook my head, a small smile taking place instead of the frown on my lips. I pushed myself to stand up on my legs and looked his way, waiting for him to make the next move. Levi started by walking ahead, motioning for me to follow with his hand. I did just that, walking into his living room and admiring it on the spot.

"D-Do you know when they'll be here?" I asked, my eyes taking in his apartment around me. His place was huge. It doesn't surprise me anymore that there was security at the buildings front doors; anyone who lived like this would need security.

To start with, his apartment had a small hall leading to each individual room. His living room was the first open archway to my right. It had another archway in that room leading to a dining hall, and across the hall was the kitchen. The place was huge, a pent house even. I can see what he meant by having a lot of money. The living room itself was huge, bigger than Mikasa's and I's apartment all together, and I couldn't even compare it to any of the other rooms since I hadn't seen them yet.

I was so busy praying to the flat screen gods that I didn't even see the two plush couches sitting across from each other or the glass coffee table in the middle of it. The flat screen was against the wall, hanging above an entertainment system that looked like it came straight from a movie. I didn't even care about the light blue walls or wooden paneling that went half way up. I could hardly care less about the curtains covering the wall sized windows. I only noticed those because I could practically see the whole city from the view.

I was in complete and utter awe of the place, jealous even. I think I would have spent the entire day dreaming of this place had it not been for Levi walking into my view to turn the TV off. He used a remote from the coffee table and then set it down gently, probably because he didn't want to scuff up the glass.

"Any minute. You made great timing." Levi commented. I had nearly forgotten the question I had asked him. Levi stood up straighter while looking back at me. I stopped my gawking of his apartment when feeling his eyes on me, and I noticed him looking at me with a disparaging look.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Do you normally dress like that when you aren't at work?" He asked while pointing to my attire. I looked down to myself, feeling like there wasn't anything wrong with it. I was wearing a pair of blue jeans with a gray, short-sleeved shirt that had a hood on the back of it. My shoes were converse sneakers and my backpack was something that looked like any college student would use. I saw nothing wrong with it.

"Yeah, why...? Is there something wrong with how I dress?" I asked, rather hurt by the thought of him mocking my fashion sense. I know I didn't have much of a fashion sense, but it was better than none all together.

"You dress like a teenager." He remarked. My eyes narrowed at him slightly from the comment.

"I'm still in college, what did you expect?" I asked, making sure my tone showed how offended I was.

"Don't you think it's a little odd for a man in his thirties to be married to someone so young?" Levi smirked as he spoke and I found myself flushing at the comment. I didn't even think about our age difference. Would his grandparents question it? Would they disapprove of me because I was younger? I hadn't even met them yet and they probably already hated me. That really wasn't fair.

"Don't worry; I lied about your age. They think you're twenty-eight." Levi said. I sighed, my nerves relaxing when I heard this. Good, so they don't hate me... _Yet._

"Thanks," I shrugged slightly and said. "What else did you tell them about me?" I asked.

"Not much; just that you work with me, you age, and that you're in school for a bachelor's degree." He stated while sitting on the couch. I stood in place, not sure what I was supposed to do. Should I sit down with him? Should I keep standing? I know we're playing married, but he hadn't gone over anything yet as to how far we have to play this "game."

"Did you tell them what my degree was?" I asked and my voice trembled. The little lift in his eyebrow proved to me that he heard it, and I inwardly cursed.

"Law... Was that right?" He asked. I frantically nodded my head, feeling the overwhelming tension crushing me. I wanted it to end, but what was I supposed to say? What was I supposed to do? I didn't have a clue.

"What are you waiting for? You can sit down if you want to." Levi motioned to either of the couches with his hand, and I sighed quietly in relief. I smiled slightly in agreement and sat down on the couch beside him. I didn't want to make things uncomfortable, although, I think we were past that now, but I didn't want to make things complicated either. "I'm not going to bite your head off for sitting down." Levi scoffed and leaned back against the plush, white couch.

His arm draped the rim of the couch behind me, practically trapping me near him. I could feel my breathing constrict as I tried to make myself smaller, but all that did was make things even more difficult for me.

"Alright..." I mumbled and set my book bag down on the floor by my feet.

"What, did you really think I would?" He asked while glaring at me. I didn't know how to answer that. I did in some ways, but I also didn't think he'd go that far. I then found it amusing that I would think in a million years that Levi wouldn't beat my ass for something simple. I opened my mouth to speak up and answer Levi, who was looking a little impatient with me and my uncomfortable pauses, but I was stopped by the sound of a bell ringing, no doubt the doorbell. I turned my head to the hallway as Levi got up from the couch and patted himself off.

"That's got to be them." He uttered rather pathetically. I stood up to follow him as he made his way to the front door. He grabbed at the doorknob, but stopped and looked back at me. "Are you ready?" He asked.

Was that a rhetorical question? Of course I wasn't ready! I knew very little about Levi, and anything his grandparents brought up would be new information to me. How could I possibly pretend to know everything about him when I knew nothing to begin with? I should have at least known things like his favorite color (if this man had one) and what he liked to do in his free time.

Even after working with this guy for two years, I was clueless to what he liked. He rarely said anything about his personal life. Did he have hobbies or special skills? Did he stay at home on days off or go out with friends? What were his favorite foods? What were his favorite TV shows? He had to have one considering the huge flat screen he had.

I should have known even the tiniest of details, such as if he liked sleeping with a TV on in the background for noise or walked around after having a terrible nightmare (like I do, regrettably), but nope, I knew nothing.

Despite the inner turmoil, I looked down at myself and then back up to shrug my shoulders.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Oh that is such a lie. I could do a lot better than this. Levi took a deep breath and nodded his head. He then opened the door, revealing two elders standing behind it.

The older woman was in a wheelchair with an old, hand-woven blanket draped over her legs. She was wearing an old, black sweater, but I could tell that the pretty butterfly designs embroidered in the sweater were not part of the original design. Her gray hair was pulled up into a bun on the back of her head, and around her neck was a rather long chain connected to the glasses on her face. She wore a big, bright smile, flashing her teeth at us and just warming my heart.

The man standing behind her (who I instantly took for as her husband) was the one who just passed his hundred and first birthday. I've never met a person so old, and I've never seen one, not even on TV, who would be up and walking. He had a grin just as nice as his wife's smile, flashing some obvious dentures, but I didn't mind that. He wore a heavy jacket around his shoulder, a big, black, and bulky thing that tied around the waist and went down to his knees. I could only see the ends of blue sweat pants on him, and his shoes were, to my surprise, a pair on converse sneakers like I wore.

Upon seeing each other, the elderly couple immediately cheered in delight when seeing Levi. His grandmother pulled him down and hugged him and his grandfather patted his back and waited patiently for his turn. The first thing I noticed was the French they spoke.

Oh the French. I took Spanish in school, and I barely passed with a D plus. I spoke nothing of French and none of it was even familiar to my ears. I had no idea what they were saying, which concerned me. One of them could have said something about me as an insult and I wouldn't know that from a simple greeting. What would I possibly do then?

"Grand-mère, grand-père, il est bon de vous revoir." Levi bent down to press a kiss against his grandmother's cheek while he spoke. She kissed his cheek back, her smile bright and shining. She looked so happy to see him, but I couldn't believe Levi wouldn't even crack a smile for them. Did he not care to see them again? He was so worried on pleasing them with me, but he wouldn't smile when seeing them after, what, ten years did he say? "Allait-il comment votre vol?"

It was weird hearing Levi speak in French. I know he was born and raised there, but the man never had an accent from what I could tell. You'd never even guess he was French if it wasn't for his name. He always spoke in English when he was at work or in someone else's company, and he never even muttered anything in French while he was alone. Hearing him speak it was odd, but what was even odder was that his voice was slightly higher when he spoke in it. It almost sounded like he was purposely trying to raise his voice, but I wasn't too sure.

"Votre grand-mère a dormi par la plupart, mais le turbulance était terrible. Elle est chanceuse qu'elle pouvait dormir." His grandfather's voice was strong and vibrant, so lively and bright. It almost shocked me, however, by how deep it was. I wasn't expecting that for someone his age. "Il est très bon revoir mon garçon jeune." His grandfather spoke up and hugged him.

Levi hugged him back, patted his shoulder, but still he didn't smile. I looked to this older man, my eyes looking at him up and down. I couldn't believe it; this hundred and one year old man was standing in front of me, smiling brightly at his grandson and hugging him with his thin and boney limbs. He looks so full of life, both he and his grandmother. I'm not sure what I was expecting when I heard about them, but I know for sure I wasn't expecting this.

"Oh, Rivaille! Regardez-vous! Vous êtes plus beau depuis l'époque passée, mais vous êtes toujours tellement sous peu pour votre âge." I have no idea what she said, but she frowned when looking down to his feet and then back up to his face, and Levi didn't look all too pleased by it either.

"Je sais, grand-mère." He replied with.

"Maintenant, où est-il? Où est votre nouveau mari?" His grandmother practically bounced in her wheelchair while speaking. I didn't know what they said, but Levi pointed in my direction, and his grandparents eyes fell onto me. I froze in place while they looked at me, my eyes falling to their feet as Levi pushed his grandmother over to me.

"Son visage est très beau, Levi." His grandmother spoke and lifted her hand. I looked up at her when she motioned for me to lift my head, and when I saw her eyes, for a split second, I could see a resemblance in the two of them. "Et les yeux. Très jolie.

"Vous choisez toujours les jolies personnes. Petra était beau aussi." I heard Petra's name when his grandfather spoke up, and I wondered if they were comparing me to her.

"Grand-mère, grand-père, il s'appelle Eren." Levi finally spoke up. I heard my name, so I guessed that he told them it.

"Et un nom beau aussi." I really hoped that they spoke some English to some degree. I was going to feel bad for using Levi as a translator if they didn't. Finally, his grandfather left his wife's and Levi's sides to shake my hand. As he did, he placed a firm hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"It's great to finally meet you." He spoke. I can't tell you how relieved I was to hear him speak in English.

"It's great to finally meet you too. Rivaille has told me a lot about you." I cursed at myself for calling him his actual name. Technically we're married, so I suppose I could have called him by a pet name, but it was too late for that now.

"All good things I hope." His grandmother said and patted my arm. I'll admit it; I was definitely surprised to hear how good their English was. They didn't have much of an accent when speaking in English, but they were obviously French.

"Yeah, all good things," I assured.

"Your grandmother here was just talking about how beautiful you are. We were saying that Levi always picked the pretty ones, like Petra. You're such a thick-headed boy sometimes, Rivaille, but I guess it only matters if you're happy." His grandfather pointed back to Levi and wagged a finger at him as he spoke.

So they had been talking about Petra. They were comparing us, although, they were saying I was pretty like her, so it wasn't like they were insulting me (I wasn't sure how I felt about being called pretty, however). Despite the comments, I quietly chuckled while his grandmother rolled his eyes.

"Forgive him; he just loses his mind sometimes." His grandmother said while tugging at my sleeve. I laughed again as his grandfather spoke up.

"I lose _my_ mind? Who was the one who kept asking how much longer until we got here on the plane ride over here?" He pointed at her with his boney fingers and I laughed again.

They really were so lively and bright. They were really nice people, which really made it easier for me to breathe. I was afraid of making a terrible impression on them and have them hate me for it, but with how easy going and laid back people they seemed to be, I felt a little less anxious.

"Come on, everybody. Let's stop wasting away here." Levi said and walked forward into the living room. His grandfather followed, leaving his grandmother stranded and cursing at the two in French. I smiled as I grabbed the back of her wheelchair and pushed her along with me.

"Oh thank you, Eren." She said and patted my hand. "What a good boy you are." She complimented and then turned her attention back to the two. "It's obvious someone raised _him_ right." She huffed at them.

"Oh boy, here we go again." His grandfather rolled his eyes as he sat down on the couch I had previously sat on. I wheeled his grandmother over to the same couch and then stepped over to Levi so I wasn't in their personal space. "Your grandmother can go on for ever and ever about manners and politeness. It's a never ending story with her." I found it slightly funny how this man could wave his arms about in such a lively manner when he talked. His wife didn't seem too pleased with it, but she probably was used to it with being with the man for so long.

"Are you thirsty at all? Do you want anything to drink?" Levi asked while placing his hands in his pockets.

"I could really use some water, honey." His grandmother said while rubbing her throat.

"Don't give me any water. You know me, I drink some water and I'll be out like a light. My body will think it's nighttime and I'll be sound asleep." Again his grandfather used such wild movements with his hands while he spoke. Levi nodded his head quietly and left to the kitchen to get his grandmother water like he said he would. This left me alone with them, and I couldn't have been any more nervous.

I wasn't sure what to do. I knew I was supposed to act married, but it would be easier for me if I knew what one of those looked like. I decided, since I was standing around and twiddling my thumbs like a dork, that I should at least sit down. There was no point in standing around like a useless dunce.

"So, Eren," His grandmother began. I looked over to her and smiled, trying to remain as calm as possible despite the inner turmoil I was dealing with. "Levi told me he met you at work. You're his assistant, right?" She asked.

"Yeah, we met a few years ago when he hired me." I said, and boy did I hope that Levi hadn't lied about _when_ we met.

"Ah right. He said you were studying to become a lawyer as well." She stated. I nodded my head to her. I was hoping they'd explain what they'd heard from Levi first, that way I could just go along with whatever they said and I wouldn't seem so stupid. "You look so young to be in that field." She said. I shrugged my shoulders and feigned disinterest.

I was young. I wasn't even legally allowed to drink, but they didn't know that. They thought that I was only five or six years younger than Levi, not fifteen. How would they react if they knew my real age? Probably not well. I was barely of legal age to date this man let alone be married to him.

"What college do you go to?" His grandfather asked.

"I go to an online college, that way I can work and still keep up with school." I said. I had made that decision just after high school, and I'm glad I did. I'm pretty sure my life would have been hell had I tried to keep up with school and work in two totally separate areas.

"What a smart idea," His grandfather said. "We didn't have stuff like that in my time. We still had to go to campuses and what not." It hit me all of a sudden that this man was alive when segregation was still an issue in America. I wanted to ask him about it, but I knew not to. It would probably be an insult to him in more ways than one.

"So does Levi help you with your school work?" His grandmother asked.

"Uh, he's offered a couple of times, but I can't take his help. I feel like I should earn my degree on my own." Oh god I hated lying. Levi never offered to help me, and I was sure that the idea never crossed my mind to ask him for help. Now that I thought about it though, it seemed like a pretty good idea.

"Levi, you've picked a good spouse." I turned my head when she suddenly said his name. Levi walked into the room, a cup of water in his hands for his grandmother to drink. She took it gratefully and sipped it before she continued to talk. "But tell me, why did you two suddenly decide to elope?" She asked.

Levi and I exchanged glances between us, and I could see the same thing in his eyes flash like mine.

_Shit…_ We never thought to go over that little detail. In all cases I wondered why Levi even said he eloped to begin with. Did he have another lie in store for that or was he drawing a blank? I looked to his face for answers, but he seemed just as deterred as I did about the question.

"Uh…" I started. "Well, in all honestly, marriage has never been an easy thing for me." Levi looked down at me as I spoke, and I guessed he was probably surprised that I would try and take control of the situation (I'm a little surprised that I'm trying to myself). "To me it's just a slip of paper that binds two people together legally, but… Levi really liked the idea." I looked over to Levi, a small smile on my lips as I spoke.

The surprise was very obvious on his face now. I looked away, not wanting to raise suspicions, but I was confused myself. Had I said something wrong? Did I look stupid while saying it? Was it not believable? Had he said something totally different to them?

"I thought that it wasn't so bad, because I love him and he's loves me, so… We decided on getting married. Eloping though, that was a shock for me as well." I laughed innocently as I rubbed the back of my neck. "I told him that we should wait, but... It made him happy." My eyes followed Levi as he slowly walked around the couch and sat by me.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but you've been married for a long time, right?" I asked. The two elders nodded their heads in response. "How do you do it? Like I said before, marriage isn't easy for me, and you two have been together for so long. These days the divorce rate is so high, so…" I trailed off.

All I was saying was true. Divorce was something I knew well of, considering that I worked in that field all of the time, and so did Levi. It seemed that all we worked were divorce cases these days. I may not really be married with Levi, but I am truly curious to know how they can stay together for so long.

Levi's grandfather smiled, flashing a fake-toothy grin at us while his grandmother sent him a loving stare. She reached over and patted his hand, to which he returned the gesture.

"I know what you mean. Even poor Levi had suffered that end." His grandmother's face fell sullen as she talked, but when she looked up at me, her spirits seemed to lift a little.

"These days, children are getting married at such a young age." His grandfather groaned in exaggeration.

"True, but age doesn't necessarily mean much. I've known him now since our days in the sixth grade. It was meant to be for us. There are people who think they know what love is, but sometimes they don't get it. You'll know when it's the right person though. Sometimes, something just clicks, and you realize that you've found the person you want to be with forever." His grandmother spoke softly while holding her husband's hand.

Their words were inspiring. This was what a real marriage should look like. These people were the perfect role models for future generations. I really did have issues with marriage; even when I was younger I swore I'd never get married no matter how much my mother told me about it, but with the way his grandmother spoke, I was definitely willing to give it a try, so long as I found the right person.

How would I know that click? How would I truly know who _the one_ was? So many questions, but I guessed that there was no real answer. Love comes differently for everyone; _that_ much I knew. I was about ready to ask them when they knew when they were in love, but Levi brought me out of my thoughts.

His head fell against my shoulder and his hand found mine, his fingers lacing between mine calmly. I flushed at the position we were in, but when I looked at his great grandparents, they seemed completely in awe of us, like we were the best thing their old eyes had ever witnessed.

"Mon bébé," His grandmother cooed at us. "Look at you, Levi. I haven't seen you smile like that in so long." Upon hearing her words, I looked down at Levi. To my surprise, he was indeed smiling.

Levi could do that? He could smile? _My boss could_ _smile?_ And not just any smile, he looked so… _Happy._ He looked so content and peaceful with that smile on his face and his eyes half lidded in a sleepy expression. I have never seen such an expression on his face before, but he honestly looks happy.

"It makes us happy to know that our little boy is being taken care of." His grandmother said while clasping her hands together by her lap.

"I'm not so little anymore, grandma." Levi chuckled, freaking _chuckled_, and I couldn't help but smile as I kissed the top of his head. I hoped he didn't mind that, because I was only playing up the moment. He didn't seem to react any different, not even blink to the gesture, so I assumed I was good.

"That's right. He's a big boy now with his own apartment and own stuff." His grandfather said while gesturing to Levi's home. I couldn't have agreed with him more.

"Is that your way of asking about staying here and not in a hotel, grandpa?" Levi asked with another heart melting laugh. He needed to stop that. I wasn't used to it. I wasn't sure if I could listen to it without keeping my eyes bulging out of my sockets any longer.

"Oh well since you offered." I laughed myself at his grandfather.

"We won't be any trouble, and neither of you will even notice us." His grandmother waved a hand at us and smiled a bright smile, but something just crossed my mind, and by the way Levi squeezed my hand, it just crossed his mind too.

Crap… I didn't think of _that _either_…_

"You'll be staying in the guest room at the end of the hall." Levi said and stood up from the couch. "Want me to show you guys there?" He asked.

"If we can find our way from France to America, I'm pretty sure we can find your room, Rivaille." His grandfather scolded as he stood up, but not without some effort. I could hear his poor bones pop and grind together as he stood and I couldn't help but wince, but once he was up, he was able to walk without any difficulties. He helped his wife along by pushing her wheel chair (another thing that surprised me, considering his brittle bones) and, once the two were out of sight, Levi dropped back onto the sofa. He buried his face into his hands while I looked at him, my face finally letting the worry I had been hiding show.

"Levi," I whined.

"I know," He grumbled into his hands. "I didn't think about it either. It never even crossed my mind." He admitted while rubbing his temples.

"They expect us to live together, Levi!" I whispered in a panic.

"_I know, Eren._ You don't have to remind me." He hissed and let his hands fall past his knees. I stared at him for a moment, expecting something like a good idea to come from him, but he didn't have anything, just like earlier. I may not have been ready for this, but he sure as hell wasn't ready for it either.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, hoping to get him thinking faster and getting some sort of idea eventually. He didn't answer. I pushed at his knee with my hand, earning a quick slap that did well for pulling a small yip from me. I pulled my hand back defensively while he finally lifted his head up. The dead look in his eyes told me that something was wrong.

"That's it then," He said while shrugging his shoulders.

"What's it?" I asked.

"We can't keep up this stupid façade any longer. I'll just tell them and you can go home." He stood up to leave, to go do what he had just said he would do, but I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him back. "What are you doing, Eren?" He asked bitterly.

"N-No, don't do that. You'll break their hearts." I pleaded with him. The position I was in forced me to stand up, but even with the height difference, I still felt like I was three feet tall as he stared me down.

"Well then what the fuck are we going to do?" He asked. I bit my bottom lip at his harsh tone and looked away. I know that I can easily walk out of this; I was given the golden opportunity to, but after meeting his grandparents and seeing how nice and caring they were, how easily accepting of me they were, I couldn't possibly do that to them.

"If… If you can put up with me, I'll live here until they leave." I suggested. Levi looked rather surprised by the suggestion, but I wasn't sure if he could possibly contemplate the idea. _Me_ living with _him_? I'd be dead by tomorrow, and he knew that just as well as I did. "I'll stay out of your way as much as I can, and when they're around we'll act married. It's only two weeks anyway, right?" I asked, just to confirm it.

"Yeah…" He mumbled. He stared me down again, to the point where I nearly ended up with my butt on the floor until he spoke. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked.

"I don't want to upset them, and I said I'd help, didn't I?" Levi tilted his head and scoffed.

"You sure this isn't just to get through college?" He asked. I sunk back a bit by the comment. Honestly, I hadn't been thinking about that at all. I just really didn't want to hurt his grandparent's feelings, and that was about it. When seeing the apprehension I faced, Levi rolled his eyes at me and crossed his arms over his chest. "Ignore it, Jaeger. If you're really willing to help me, then so be it."

"Okay… But I have to tell Mikasa." I stated daringly. Levi shot me an annoyed glance.

"Why?" He asked.

"Don't you think she'd notice me missing for two weeks?" I asked. Levi looked away, but I could tell that he was thinking about it, and he knew very likely that she'd kill him when hearing the news.

"You can't tell her that you're staying at a friend's place for a bit?" He asked begrudgingly.

"The only friend I'd ever stay with is off in college. I could always tell her I'd be staying with Hanji or Petra, but that would just bring up more questions." I shrugged my shoulders slightly. Levi rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue before waving his hands in the air.

"Fine, whatever; do whatever you want. I don't care." He grumbled. I smiled widely from his remark and I felt like I could hug him, but I didn't. That'd only get me a fat lip. I settled for nodding my head to him instead.

"Good," I said with a sigh. My shoulders relaxed as Levi finally looked away from me and down the hall to where his grandparents were. When seeing that they were still out of ear shot, he walked back over to me and sat on the couch. "I have a question," I announced rather abruptly.

"Shoot," He mumbled.

"Either your grandparents are hard of seeing or they don't care that I'm a guy…" I said while sitting down by him.

"They know, they just don't care. So long as I am married they wouldn't care if I was married to an animal." He grumbled while leaning back into the couch. Again with the jokes; I know they're sarcastic, but it surprises me that he's trying to joke in the first place. "… Although you're pretty close to one." He added quietly, more to himself than me. Levi lifted his head off of the rim of the couch and looked at me.

"Eren, I don't know if you've noticed it yet, but my grandfather has a knack for gabble." Levi stated. I kind of already noticed it. "He can go on forever about any subject. When I was younger, I had him going for a good, solid hour about American government." He continued.

"I kind of noticed, but… Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"Because he'll talk your ear off, so I'm just warning you now." He warned. I nodded my head in understanding, letting it fall back onto the couch to relax.

"Levi, could you come help us for a moment?" His grandmother called from the guest room. Levi groaned before standing up and patting himself off.

"Yeah," He called out. He looked down at me for a moment, a quizzical look on his face.

"What…?" I asked.

"I'm curious… Are you sure your degree isn't for acting?" He asked.

"No, it's not, why?" I questioned.

"Nothing, it's just that you surprised me earlier with your acting. Had I not known about our little set up, I probably would have believed you as well." He replied with before leaving the room to help his grandparents.

… Did he just compliment me?

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**A/N: Everyone, please thank my friend Broby for helping me with the French. I speak none of it, so she translated everything for me. ^^ Thank you Broby~!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update, but I'd like to ask everyone to take a minute and thank my friend Broby for translating this! I really feel it's unfair of me to ask that of her when she's really busy with school, but she took her time to do it and help me out. So please review and thank you, that way I'll send the reviews to her so she knows she's appreciated by, not only me, but also you guys! ^^ ****So, for this chapter, I promise, this is the last of the French! Anything else will be small terms I and google translate can handle on our own. XD**

**On another note, 62 followers and over 2,000 views?! You guys rock! Thanks everyone. ^^ Please don't forget to review and tell me how you feel about the story! Again, I bring Broby back and say thank you Broby~! Please everyone, keep up the awesomeness! For those who would like to know, I will put the English translations for the last chapter and this chapter up for you guys to know what they were saying. XD**

**Alright! Have a great week! See you all next weekend! :D**

**- Misty**

**Song of the day: ****Silence**

**By: Nano**

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**A Forged Wedding****  
**

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**Modern AU, based off of the Japanese game:****  
****"I... Don't think I heard you right. What did you just ask me, Rivaille?"****  
****"I'm asking you to marry me for a month. How did you not hear me right?"****  
**

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**Rated M for sexual content, adult language, violence, mentions of child abuse****  
****Couple: Riren (Rivaille and Eren)****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack On Titan)****  
**

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**Chapter 4:**

**Let's Have a Talk**

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Levi and I had helped his grandparents settle into the guest room after dinner. I insisted we make dinner, but Levi had said that everyone had, had a long day and didn't want to take the time (or wait) to make the food, even if it was better. After a debate between the four of us, we all settled on Chinese food from a little shop near time square. I hadn't heard of the place, but Levi insisted that it had some great food. Once we all finished eating (and I'll agree with Levi this once that the Chinese was exactly what I needed), we helped them to bed. Now it was time for us to go to bed... Oh no...

I had followed closely behind Levi with my tail between my legs, but when he opened the door to his room, I swear my heart stopped beating. I know it wasn't his big and luxurious room that did it; I expected it to be such a voluminous room after seeing the rest of his apartment, but I was in Rivaille's room, my boss none the less. I hadn't thought this part through either. Was I going to sleep in his bed with him, or was I sleeping on the floor? Did he have another room for me to sleep in possibly? If I had to sleep in here... If I had to sleep in here, that's it.

"There's a bathroom there if you need to take a shit." Levi said and pointed to the bathroom he spoke of. I had gotten used to his potty mouth by now, but sometimes he still surprised me with it.

"Thanks," I said and shrugged my shoulders a little. I really didn't know how to respond to that except for a thanks. I probably could have said, "I'll make sure to do that," but I wasn't really in the mood for sarcasm.

"I guess some time tomorrow you're going to have to get your clothes here..." Levi mumbled, but it was more to himself than me.

"I could say I have to go to work." I suggested.

"If you haven't noticed, brat, you work for me. You work on the days I work, and I have the next few days off to spend time with my grandparents." He explained as he sat down on his king sized bed. I rolled my eyes at him calling me a brat again.

Typical Levi.

"I promised I'd help a friend move." I improvised. "Meanwhile, you can take them out and show them the city. By the time you're done, I'll be done helping them and I can make lunch." Levi gave me a wired look filed with irritation and anger, but after a moment he looked away and to the floor. His eyes softened, and I could tell that he was actually considering the idea.

"That's not half bad..." He mumbled to himself again. I shifted in place, trying to decide if I should sit down on the bed with him or pick out a spot on the floor for me to sleep on. "I guess we could go with that idea."

"You got any other bright ideas?" I asked, not intending the sarcasm, but having it come out anyway.

"Very funny, Jaeger. Don't make me fire you." He threatened.

"What's with the last name? We're married after all." I said while flashing the fake ring around my finger and accessorizing it with a smirk. Now I was being sarcastic.

"Fuck you," Levi said and stood up from the bed. "I'm going to take a shower. Do you need to use the bathroom at all?" He asked.

"Nah, I'm good." I said and waved my hand at him. He let out a drawled out sighed before heading over to his dresser and pulling out some pajamas. "Where am I going to put my stuff?" I asked.

"You can move my stuff over if you need to." He said without looking at me. I can guess that I won't need to move anything of his; his dresser is bigger than him after all. "You don't plan on bringing your whole damn room with you, do you?" He asked.

"No, I was just going to bring some clothes with me." I said. "That and my toothbrush." I added with a smile. This seemed to please him to some degree.

"Alright then," He said. I watched as he set his stuff down in the bathroom and started the water. I didn't mean to stare, but my eyes wandered as he stripped himself of his white, button up shirt. I found myself becoming jealous, because this man, short, scrawny, and with no meat on his bones, had incredible abs. How long did it take me to get abs when I was in high school? I believe it took me _all_ of high school.

My curiosity peaked as he went about his business and I couldn't help but ask.

"Hey uh... Rivaille?" I called out.

"Yeah...?" He walked back into the room with a towel around his neck and shoulders.

"Where uh... Where am I going to sleep?" I asked.

"In my bed, of course," He said with no hint of sarcasm and not so much as a twitch of his muscles. Again, how could he keep a straight face when he spoke like that?

"Are you sure? I-I could sleep on the floor if it would make things easier." Shit, I stuttered. It's because he isn't wearing a shirt and I'm jealous, that's _all._

"Wouldn't that look weird if my grandparents walked in; you on the floor and me in bed alone?" He scoffed and leaned against the door with his arms crossed over his rather sculpted chest. "You can stay on one side of the bed and I'll stay on the other. If they come in we can do the whole "cuddle" thing. Is that okay with you?" He asked.

I nodded my head in understanding. I considered it better than being on the floor and sleeping with a couple of blankets and a pillow.

"Yeah, that's fine." I said. Levi nodded his head before disappearing into the bathroom again and shutting the door behind him. I sighed when I was alone, my body relaxing when I was free from Levi's tough gaze. I gave myself the opportunity to look around his room and take in the beauty of it before I sat down on the other side of the bed.

I was so glad Levi was going to let me sleep in his bed. It was unbelievably comfortable. Looking back over my shoulder to check and make sure Levi wouldn't see what I had planned, I flopped down onto his bed and dug my nose into his pillows. Even the pillows with satin, blue cases were comfortable. Was all of this memory foam? I had some cheap, knockoff memory foam on my bed at home, and it was nowhere near this comfortable. I took a long moment to simply delve in the bed, the blankets and pillows pulling me into sleep faster than I thought.

As I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, letting sleep lay on me like a large blanket, Levi's scent caught my attention. I pushed my nose further into his pillow and breathed deeply, trying to catch the scent I recognized. I knew his personal scent from the two years of working as his personal assistant, but I also smelled something more, something more defined that one wouldn't notice unless your nose was in his clothes or hair. What was it? I knew it, I just couldn't place it.

It was rough, like a heavy woodsy smell. Maybe rain. Was that what I smelled? Like a good, heavy thunderstorm. Maybe it was the shampoo he used? Although I've never smelled a shampoo like that.

It took me minutes of thinking to realize that I must have looked really odd. Me, sitting on my boss's bed, and smelling his rather addicting scent. I decided to forget about pinning his scent, even though I was still curious about it. I'd probably find out within the timespan of two weeks, so it was okay.

Instead of picking up on the smell, I sat up for a moment to discard myself of my short-sleeved and hooded shirt and folded it. I set it down on the floor for now, not having anywhere else to put it for the moment. This left me bare, and once done I pulled the covers back and slipped under them. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to sleep on this side or what, but if I was wrong I was sure Levi would kill me for it later. Won't that be fun?

I plopped my head down onto the pillow and pulled the covers over me. Once again, his scent invaded my senses. It really did smell like a thunderstorm and I really wondered how he could possibly get that smell on his personal property, but re-convinced myself that I'd find out later. I closed my eyes and settled my thoughts, and sleep was quick to cling to me.

I was half asleep by the time I heard Levi leave the shower. It barely registered in my head that he left and eventually sat on the bed beside me. I stayed quiet and pulled the covers closer to my face. I subconsciously inhaled his scent, not even intending to do so. I rolled over onto my side, my eyes barely opening and glancing at Levi to see what he was doing.

My boss was currently stretching his arms over his head and sighing as his muscles stretched while his covers were pulled back. He had a cup of water on his oak bedside table, and next to it was a small, white pill. I vaguely remembered Levi's grandfather saying something about having water before bed and it made me smile; Levi was a lot more like his grandparents than I realized.

"What's the pill for?" I asked. I wasn't even aware that I asked it until the words registered in my head and Levi looked back at me, his expression still as angry as it usually was.

"To help me sleep." He said before taking said pill. I watched as he set the cup back down on the table and I quietly snickered. "What's so funny?" He growled as he pulled the covers over his legs.

"Oh, n-nothing, I just uh-"

"Just what?" He asked bitterly as he lay down on his back, his elbows supporting himself to sit up a little longer.

"You remind me of your grandfather... T-The water thing." I said and scooted back a little in case he decided to hit me (because he would if I got on his nerves enough). Levi looked over to his drink and stared absentmindedly before scoffing and fully laying on his back. "Don't tell me you didn't notice it." I was rather surprised. Had he really never noticed the resemblance he faced with his great grandfather?

"Goodnight, Jaeger." He grumbled before turning onto his side and facing away from me. He yanked the covers over his shoulders and hid his face into his pillows, effectively blinding me from his view. A quiet moment passed before I sighed and rolled onto my own side, looking at nothing in particular as I closed my eyes.

"Goodnight, Rivaille..." I mumbled, but I didn't get a response. The quiet settle around us, the darkness finally setting in and making it harder for me to sleep. I normally slept with something playing in the background, whether it was a quiet and soft song (preferably a piano piece) or just the TV playing the news. This was something I was going to have to get used to for the next two weeks. I could easily put ear buds into my phone and listen to music like that, but I didn't want to run the risk of disturbing Levi. Yeah, that was all I needed.

That reminded me of Mikasa. I had texted her during dinner and told her I was staying late at work and to not wait up for me, but she was more than likely going to do so. Not only was I going to have to explain everything to her tomorrow, but I was going to have to apologize for everything over and over again...

She'll kill me before Levi does.

* * *

I'm glad to say that I found sleep after half an hour. I was surprised, because I don't normally fall asleep well (let alone stay asleep) without something playing in the background. I was even more surprised when I woke up, because I was wrapped up in a strong embrace, arms circled around me with a hand in my hair and the other on my shoulder. I could hear a heartbeat and the dull murmur of whispers. People were talking, but I wasn't sure if it was to me or not.

"-Je ne suis pas sûr. Que voulez-vous faire aujourd'hui?" I could hear Levi's voice as clear as day. I had no idea what he was saying or where I even was at this point, but I didn't care. I cuddled into this warmth surrounding me and sighed, my nose being tickled by something laced with Levi's scent.

"Il y a beaucoup de choses à faire dans une ville de cette grande. Il serait agréable de s'asseoir dans un parc. Pouvons-nous le faire?" I could vaguely make out his great grandmothers voice, but she, along with Levi, was speaking French. I was left blind in more ways than one.

"Bien sûr, nous le pouvons." There was Levi's voice again. His was much louder than his grandmothers even though he was whispering.

"Eren aimerait-il aller au parc?" I heard my name and it prompted me to open my eyes. I blinked wearily, my eyes out of focus and heavy. It was slightly dark, but I could make out the outline of Levi's shoulder, neck, and collar bone a mere inch from my face.

Now I could make things out. Levi was holding me. That explained why it was so warm and why I felt so comfortable. I don't think I've been held like this since I was a child.

"Je ne vois pas pourquoi qu'il ne l'aimerait pas. Je lui demanderai quand il se réveille." Levi spoke quietly and his grip around me tightened. I was forced to hold down a sound similar to a sigh.

"Laissez-le dormir. Hier, c'était une longue journée." His grandmother spoke just as calmly he just did, but her voice held the obvious care she possessed. How did he relate to these people? They were so kind and caring, and Levi was so... Not.

"Vous n'avez pas une idée." Levi's tone was sarcastic, so whatever he said obviously counteracted what she said.

"Travaillez-vous dur pour votre bureau?" His grandmother said.

"Oui, nous travaillons dur. Nous terminons une enquête maintenant, en fait."

"Quel est votre itinéraire après?" I was guessing by now that his grandfather wasn't in the room since it was so quiet on his side.

"Nous espérons pour se détendre. Cette enquête a été difficile pour tout le monde." Levi sighed after he spoke, his chin falling to rest on top of my head. I sighed in content and cuddled my head closer to his neck, my cheek pressing against his shoulder, which I now just realized was bare. His whole top half was bare, in fact; just by adjusting my arms, I could feel his skin slide under mind. Where had his shirt gone?

Come to think of it, I wasn't wearing a shirt either. I had taken mine off before I fell asleep, leaving my top half bare as well. The two of us were currently in bed together, pressed against each other, shirtless, and to add to it, he and his grandmother were having a conversation like nothing was completely and utterly awkward at the moment. To top it all off, I was cuddling him, my hands squished between our chests and my hands resting on his biceps, which I didn't really register into my head at first. There was so much wrong with this situation at the moment that I didn't even know where to begin.

"Ne le laissez pas ruiner votre mariage comme il avait avec votre mariage avec Petra." Petra's name again. Were they comparing us? Was she insulting me? Was she insulting _Petra?_ Petra did nothing wrong to deserve that.

"Je ne vais pas laisser cela se produire à nouveau. Ma relation avec Eren ne sera jamais ruiné." I heard my name again, and I undoubtedly lifted my head an inch when hearing it. All that did was ruin my ease dropping (which wasn't successful, because I couldn't understand anything that they say), because Levi pulled his head back to look at me. "Are you awake, Eren?" He asked, to my luck, in English.

I lifted my head more and rested it onto the pillow beneath us instead of on his shoulder. His arm was under my neck, providing more comfort for me as I nodded my head.

"Mhm," I hummed and rubbed my eyes with the palm of my hand.

"Oh dear, I hope it wasn't us talking that woke you up." His grandmother said with a frown, making her skin crinkle from the worry and old age.

"No, that wasn't it." Yes it was.

"Did you sleep well?" Levi asked, rubbing the back of my head with his fingers, which were incredibly tender and kind all of a sudden. He was so attentive to me; I had no idea how long this was going to last, but I liked it. It was a nice change of pace compared to my boss who normally beats me for even the tiniest of things.

"Yeah, surprisingly..." I mumbled and dropped my head back onto his shoulder.

"That's wonderful to hear." His grandmother cooed in a lovely voice and patted my back. I was still conscious of the fact that I was bare, but I didn't want to be rude and flinch away from something that was more than likely a simple gesture. I ended up stiffening in place, but I didn't move from her affection. "Levi and I were just discussing going to a park to relax today. Would you like to do that today, Eren?" His grandmother asked me.

"That sounds like a great idea." I said while shifting to sit on my elbow. Levi tightened his grip around me, as if trying to remind me of our plan, but I wasn't stupid; I hadn't forgotten. "Except, and I totally forgot about it, Levi, I promise I'd help a friend move today." I managed to mutter through a yawn.

"Was that today?" Levi asked and managed to sound disappointed.

"Yeah, I totally forgot about it." I groaned.

"Oh, what rotten luck," His grandmother pouted. I absolutely hated how sad she sounded and I quickly went about trying to fix it.

"It shouldn't take too long though. Levi, why don't you take them around the city and I'll do that. I'll make lunch when we are all home." I looked to Levi and smiled at him, trying to look like I had a newlywed glow to myself. I'm only copying what I'd seen on TV, and apparently newlyweds looked really happy in the morning when waking up near the ones they loved.

"I wouldn't mind that," Levi said and looked to his grandmother. "What do you think?"

"That's a wonderful idea." His grandmother's smile widened to the thought of it. "Once your grandfather wakes up, I'll tell him about it." She said while pushing herself up from the chair near Levi's desk. My eyes widened in surprise when seeing her stand; I thought she couldn't walk? I saw her, clear as day, in a wheelchair yesterday. What happened to that?

I looked to Levi for answers, and my boss was simply rolling his eyes at me. He shook his head at me and yanked me back down to him, pushing my face back into the crook of his neck. I laughed at his action.

I already knew what he was doing. He was acting up the moment (obviously), so it was only natural that I followed his lead. I wrapped my arms around his body and pulled him close, my hands going to rest on his back while he paid close attention to his grandmother.

"Are you okay, grandma?" He asked her.

"I'm fine, Rivaille. I'm just winded, that's all." She muttered as she left the room. She closed the door behind her, leaving us alone, and after a few moments of quiet, Levi's grip finally went limp. I let out a sigh of relief and let my head fall into the soft pillow below ours.

"I'm sorry about that. My grandmother knows nothing about personal space." Levi groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. I managed a gurgled grumble from within the pillow as my answer. "I never had any privacy as a kid." He continued on. I lifted my head out of the pillow and rested it on its side so I could look at him.

"You lived with your grandparents?" I asked.

"Occasionally," He answered as he sat up and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Why is that?" I asked out if curiosity. The look I got from him implied that I shouldn't keeping asking such questions.

"That's none of your fucking business." Ah, classical Levi is back. It brings a little more normalcy into this already odd morning. "I'm going to take a shower." He griped before standing up and stretching his arms over his head.

"You just took one last night." I lifted my head up slightly and interrogated.

"Yeah, what's your point?" He leaned against the bathroom door and quipped. I stayed silent for a moment before shaking my head.

"Nothing, never mind," I said and sat up.

"What time are you leaving?" He asked while pushing his bangs (in many directions from sleeping) from his face.

"Lemme check," I mumbled before bending over to grab my discarded shirt.

"What do you mean by that?" Levi questioned and I could feel the daggers going into my back as he stared at me. I pulled out my phone from my pocket and flipped it open to read the time. I couldn't even get to the time. My phone had been blown up with missed calls and text messages, all from the same person. I opened up the first one to read it.

_"Eren, where are you? In getting worried."_ I read out loud before moving to the next one. _"It's really late, at least call me so I know you're alright."_ I spoke out before reading the next one. _"Eren, answer your phone. If you don't, I'm calling the police."_

I snickered before shutting my and sighing.

"I think that answers your question." I moaned in guilt and embarrassment before kicking my legs over the bed. "All of those were from Mikasa."

"Your sister?" Levi asked.

"Yep," I said and rolled my neck around. "She's going to go nuts when she hears about this."

"Are you going to be okay going alone?" Levi smirked with his sarcastic comment. Truth was, however, that I had no idea myself. Mikasa wasn't going to be happy that I lied, stayed out until morning, slept with my boss, and then there's the issue of telling her I'm playing husband with him. I'm so screwed on so many levels that there aren't enough levels to cover my screwiness.

"If you don't hear from me after lunch, I'm probably dead." I uttered before opening up my phone. I needed to answer her before she really did call the cops (if she hadn't already).

_"I'm sorry, I'm alright, I promise. I'll be home in half an hour. I have to talk to you."_ I typed before hitting send. I knew that once she saw this she'd begin calling me again, all the more reason for me to leave sooner.

"Do you want to take a shower first then?" Levi asked me.

"Nah, I'll get one when I get back home." I waved my hand and said. Levi shrugged his shoulders before entering his bathroom and disappearing behind the door. I heard the shower start and I distantly wondered who it was Levi got his penchant for cleanliness from, but I ignored the inner question. I'd probably find out anyway, seeing as how Levi couldn't go five minutes without something being cleaned. If he was as bad as his grandparents were, they would show their side for it too in the near future.

I sighed one more time before tossing my shirt back over my head and standing. My backpack was still by the couch, so long as no one had moved it. My shoes were still by his front door, so all I needed to do was get those and my backpack and I could go. If his parents were still in bed, then I would be fine. I could sneak by without them seeing me (in yesterday's clothes, no less) and take care of the messy situation with Mikasa.

And just as I thought about it, my phone buzzed in my hand. I looked down into my hand and looked at the ID. It was just a text message from Mikasa, but anything could be said in one simple text message. I held my breath as I opened my phone and then the message.

_9:31 a.m._

_Mikasa:_

"_You're so dead when you get home."_

* * *

**Translations for last chapter:**

**"Grandma, grandpa, it's good to see you again." "How was your flight?"**

**"Your grandmother slept through most of it, but it was so bumpy. She's lucky she got to sleep."**

**"It's good too see my young man again."**

**"Oh Rivaille, look at you! You've gotten so handsome since I last saw you, but you're still so short for you age."**

**"I know, grandma."**

**"Now where is he? Where is your new husband?"**

**"What a beautiful face he has, Levi."**

**"You still know how to pick the pretty ones. Petra was beautiful too."**

**"Grandma, grandpa, this is Eren."**

**"And a pretty name too." **

* * *

**Translations for this chapter:**

**"I'm not sure. What do you want to do today?"**

**"There's so much to do in a city this big. It'd be nice to settle down in a park. Could we do that?"**

**"Of course we can. Whatever you and grandpa want to do today we can do."**

**"Would Eren like to go to the park?"**

**"I don't see why he wouldn't like it. I'll ask him when he wakes up."**

**"Let him sleep. Yesterday was such a long day."**

**"You have no idea."**

**"Are you two working hard at your office?"**

**"Yes, we are. We're finishing a case right now, actually."**

**"What are your plans after that?"**

**"To relax. This case has been hard on everyone."**

**"Just don't let it do what it did to your marriage with Petra."**

**"I won't let that happen again. Definitely not with Eren."**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So, for lack of better names and my French knowledge-**

**Levi- What French knowledge?**

**Shut up! For lack of those things, and I didn't say this sooner because I kept forgetting to say it (cause if you know me, you know that happens XD), we're going to continue to call Levi's grandparents grandma and grandpa. Or we'll say it in French, because now I know how! :D As for that, all I can say is... Have fun with this chapter. *wink, wink, nudge, nudge***

**Song of the day: Pika BurnJuck**

**By: GP Basic (Probably listed that song already, but it's a damn good song.)**

* * *

**A Forged Wedding****  
**

* * *

**Modern AU, based off of the Japanese game:****  
****"I... Don't think I heard you right. What did you just ask me, Rivaille?"****  
****"I'm asking you to marry me for a month. How did you not hear me right?"****  
**

* * *

**Rated M for sexual content, adult language, violence, mentions of child abuse****  
****Couple: Riren (Rivaille and Eren)****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack On Titan)****  
**

* * *

**Chapter 5:**

**The Passions of Acting**

* * *

I peeked into the hallway, my eyes falling to the multiple doors and archways leading to other rooms while my eyes scanned out for Levi's grandparents. His grandmother had already seen me this morning, but she hadn't seen me in the clothes I was in yesterday, which I was in now. I never thought of bringing clothes with me yesterday, so I'm still dressed as I was yesterday. No doubt the two would question it. I only hoped that their eyesight was terrible and they wouldn't notice it. That was _if _they caught me trying to sneak out.

We had already told his grandmother that I was helping a friend today (a lie I will never let down), so I should be okay with that excuse, but the fact still remains that I am in yesterday's clothing. I could have tried wearing Levi's clothes, but he's five inches smaller than I am. They never would have fit me, or at least would have looked really odd on me. That would have been weird to wear around both his grandparents and Mikasa when I got home.

I tip toed past the extra rooms and to stepped into the living room where there wasn't a living soul. I sighed with relief as I grabbed my backpack off of the floor, happy to see that no one had moved it and that it was still where I left it yesterday. I opened it up to make sure everything was there, because I didn't want any of my things to be left behind. I guessed I could have left my things here, considering I was going to live here for the next two weeks, but I didn't want to leave something behind that would blow our plan to his grandparents. Everything was there, so I slipped my backpack onto my back and sighed once more.

I turned to leave, ready to get the hell out of here and go tell Mikasa what was happening, and just as I slipped out of the living room, Levi's grandfather appeared from the kitchen with a plate of eggs in his hands. I jumped in place, my heart giving a good lunge within my chest and my breath going cold at the sight of him. It wasn't him that scared me, but so much the idea that he and I had to run into each other just when I was thinking I was safe. He himself had the same reaction, jumping in place and covering his chest with his boney, old hand. I had momentarily feared that I had just given him a heart attack, but the man started laughing in place of the momentary French (cursing, I think) that he had sputtered out.

"Good lord, don't spook me like that, Eren. I'm too old for that kind of stuff these days." He said and I instantly smiled. Hadn't Levi recently said something along the lines of being too old? No harm done, as of now at least.

"Sorry about that. I didn't even see you there." I said and patted his shoulder. Levi's grandmother walked (again with the walking) out of the kitchen, a cup of water in her hands as she fixed her glasses on her face. Great, now she can see.

"Oh, leaving already, Eren?" She asked while squinting her eyes to see me better. I nodded my head and smiled a little while rubbing the back of my neck. I could feel a sweat start up from fearing if she would notice my clothes. "I was hoping you could stay and eat breakfast at least. I made some eggs for everyone." She said with a pout.

"I'm sorry about that." I said and eyed the food she made. I knew I had to leave, and I had to leave soon, or else Mikasa would come and find me herself (and then beat the ever living shit out of me in front of his grandparents), but the food did look good, and I was starving even though I ate so much for dinner last night. Not to mention that it would be rude of me to push away such a nice favor. What kind of "husband" would I be if I did that to my great grandparents? "I guess… My friend can wait a few minutes while I eat."

I owe Mikasa so much right now. I owe her weeks and weeks of vacation, starting as soon as this whole ordeal is over with.

"Oh wonderful; your plate it right here." She mentioned while pointing to said plate on the table. I smiled to her, set my bag down, and sat at the table. The eggs were in front of me, waiting to be eaten, and I couldn't help but dig in. They were practically like fluff, making my tongue water. I had to keep my mouth shut for a few minutes to make sure I didn't openly drool on the table. "How is it?"

"It's delicious!" I exclaimed. His grandmother smiled brightly in return, obviously happy about the news. "How did you make them taste so good?" I asked.

"I've been around for a long time, Eren. I've learned all of the tips and tricks when it comes to cooking." She said, almost poetically if I didn't know any better. I offered up a big grin before continuing on with my meal. I didn't want to be a pig and eat everything all at once, but I didn't want to keep Mikasa waiting. She is going to kill me enough as it is. For all I know, she could be coming here to do just that.

"Don't choke on your food, boy." His grandfather said, a light laugh in his voice.

"I won't," I promised. The two of them smiled to me before looking at each other and smiling more. This brought my own smile to my lips. I still don't know what I was expecting when I first thought of them, but I know I wasn't expecting this. They really can brighten up a room.

I felt my phone vibrate within my pocket, reminding of my restricted time schedule. It had to be Mikasa, and remembering that, I quickly finished the rest of my meal without choking on it like Levi's grandparents told me not to. My smile and the fact that I enjoyed the wonderful meal that his grandmother made must have made her happy, because his grandmother started humming a soft tune that I oddly recognized. I didn't have time to ask what it was, though, because I was already putting my dish in the sink and walking out of the room with a small goodbye to them.

"Thank you so much for breakfast!" I called out as I darted out of the room. I barely heard Levi's grandparents thanking me for eating it before I was at the door and opening it. I did a mental check on everything: shoes, backpack, and phone. Was there anything else I was forgetting?

"Eren," I heard Levi's voice from down the hall, prompting me to look back before exiting his apartment. Levi, still shirtless and in a pair of loose fitting jeans hanging off of his hips, did a slow jog up to me, his normal expression a little light for a moment.

"Yeah…?" I asked, trying not to look at his chest and become overly jealous (or blush). As Levi walked up to me, I could faintly see Levi's grandparents standing in the archway of his kitchen. I didn't want to draw suspicions by looking at them, so I forced myself to keep my eyes on Levi.

"You forgot your key again." He said and pulled my hand into his grasp. I felt the warm metal of the key touch my hand, but I barely noticed it. Levi's hands were small and soft, something I never noticed before. I was greatly curious to put my hand against his and see the difference in the sizes of our hands, but I didn't. With his grandparents still watching us, I had to act like I knew everything about Levi and loved it all. I'd only ruin it by doing that and then getting my ass kicked for it.

After working for him for two years, I thought I knew enough about him. I guess I was wrong.

As Levi's hands slipped from mine, my eyes caught a look at his face. I barely registered the wink he gave me before he stepped forward and pressed a soft, lingering kiss on my lips. My thoughts were utterly slow, so the kiss wasn't even the first thing I registered. What I registered at first was the wink. Was he trying to tell me not to blow the secret of his apartment key?

I wasn't stupid. I got that I was supposed to act like I lived there and that I had a key to "our" home. The idea that I forgot the key, "again," as he said, was a pretty good idea, I'll admit it.

It took a few seconds later to realize that he was indeed kissing me. My lips were against my boss's mouth in an intimate manner that was meant to be passionate, sweet, kind, and loving, but how in God's name was I supposed to reciprocate the feelings? Levi had been in love. He knew what it was like to feel it and knew it even more to act it. Me? Well…

I'll admit that my best friend's mom made I and him kiss each other in the first grade. That is all the experience I ever got. It's not like I never wanted to be in a relationship or anything, it's just that I was never good with people to begin with. I was the type of person who liked to talk things out with my fists instead of my head. _"Actions speak louder than words."_ I'm the poster child for that saying.

Actions… I guess that would be a good place to start, right?

I knew this was an act, and I knew I had to act properly. I had seen enough TV and movies to get the idea of it. I got the gist of it mentally; however, my body seemed to know what it was doing before my mind could catch up with it. I had already wrapped my arms around his body, my hands falling to rest on the small of his back (very small) and pulling him closer to me.

His chest pressed against mine, and in the mix of the confusion and heat, I tilted my head to the side to avoid our noses bumping together. Levi then did the same, but in the other direction, and this left little space between us. The kiss heated up slightly, our lips moving, coaxing the others mouth open, and if it wasn't for the sudden sound of his great grandfather clearing his throat from the kitchen, lord knows how far we would have gotten in that kiss.

Levi pulled away, his head falling to my shoulder as he cast a glance back to his grandparents. The two of them were smiling and giddy, but all either he or I could do was groan in disapproval (or disappointment?).

"Weren't you cooking?" He asked in a near hiss, eyes practically darts at his grandparents. The two of them jumped, as if they thought they hadn't been caught, and suddenly disappeared behind the wall. Levi kept watching the archway, causing me to do the same, and after a few moments, a patch of gray hair and the old eyes of his grandmother peeked back at us. Levi sighed irritably before looking back up at me and kissing the side of my mouth. "I'll miss you," He said in a mumble.

"I'll miss you too," I said, my hand brushing against his cheek and pushing his bangs back from his eyes.

Yep, my body definitely knew what it was doing more than _I_ did.

"Now," Levi said, voice falling into an aggravated tone. "Can't I get some God damn privacy around here?" He suddenly snapped back at his family, his body leaving mine so he could chase down his grandparents. I chuckled when seeing his grandmother duck back into the kitchen, and after lingering for a few more minutes, I could hear remnants of their conversation.

"_I have no idea what you're talking about."_

"_You're the blind people, not me. I could see you from five fucking feet away."_

"_Don't use such language around your grandmother, Rivaille. We raised you better than that."_

I chuckled again before leaving his apartment and quietly closing the door behind me. It was at this point, though I don't know why, that my legs finally chose to give out under me. I fell with a heavy thud, a grunt leaving me with barely any air left in my body (Levi had sucked it all out of me). I could freely let the blush on my cheeks show and the burning ache in my chest and stomach take over.

Damn. When Levi explained this insane plan to me, he never bothered to mention we would be making out. What next; are we going to have sex and have them walk in on us? I can't really say I'd appreciate that.

I could understand a possible kiss to the cheek, or something similar to what he did just a moment ago when he kissed the side of my mouth, but what we just did… I felt my face heat up just from the memories, and heat pool into a certain spot it most definitely _shouldn't _have gone to.

Am I even going to make it through these two weeks?

* * *

I sighed, my arm reaching out and my hand pushing the door open. I should have considered it a good thing that Mikasa didn't suddenly bust the door down and sob on me, but, somehow, I found it unsettling. Just the fact that she didn't do that either meant that she left to find me or was currently at the police station… _Trying to find me._ That or she was heavily sedated. I prayed for the second option as I entered the apartment.

It was quiet, but I could hear the distant TV playing in our room. I always left it on, and obviously Mikasa never turned it off, no matter how much it bugged her. She must have left it on the keep her nerves down, but television can only do so much. I nudged my shoes off quietly before walking into the small area we called a living room, kitchen, and dining room, and looked around. Still she wasn't here.

She wouldn't leave, not after what I did to her and the panic I put her through, and for sure not after I texted her and told her I was coming home. She definitely wouldn't do that, so where was she?

"… Mikasa?" I called out quietly. As if on que, I heard the sound of our TV shutting off and a small shuffling sound. Mikasa suddenly appeared from our room, and guilt hit me faster than I thought it would. Her poor, black hair was tousled and matted like she had been pulling on it all night. She had terrible bags under her eyes, which was a hard thing to see for Mikasa, considering her perfect sleeping record and knowledge of how to apply foundation to "problem areas" as she called it (Though she never needed it). She was still in her clothes from yesterday; this much I knew, because last I checked, Mikasa always wore presentable clothing when going to public college.

"Eren…" She said in an obvious sigh of relief. I saw her charge for me and I was about ready to run right back out the door, afraid she was going to kill me, but to my surprise, cold arms wrapped around my shoulders in a tight hug.

"Whoa-!" I let out, nearly falling over from her sudden glomp. I was just about ready to return the hug when she suddenly pulled away and slapped me across the face. "Ouch, Mikasa, what-?"

"You scared the shit out of me, Eren!" She cried out. Mikasa wasn't one for swearing (unless she was calling Levi a terrible name), so obviously I upset her to no end. "Why didn't you answer your phone sooner? Why didn't you bother telling me where you were?" And so began the on slaughter of questions.

"I fell asleep, I didn't mean to scare you, I promise!" I explained while holding up my hands. I didn't realize I had done it, but it was too late by the time I realized it. Mikasa looked at my hands, and on my left hand, on my ring finger, was the fake ring Levi gave to me. She lashed out and grabbed my hand, and when she inspected it, my heart rose into my throat and stopped my breathing. She had an absolute poker face on her, an expression I couldn't read, and that scared me more than the guilt itself.

"Mikasa… I can explain this."

"Jesus…" She mumbled. Mikasa wasn't one for religion either, but here she was saying the man's name.

"It's not what it looks like." I said as she began to pace back and forth in the small space.

"Oh no, oh no, no, no," She started mumbling and biting on her fingers.

"It really isn't what it looks like!" I tried saying over her frantic mumbling.

"Please, Eren please, just… Tell me she isn't pregnant, just say that."

"Holy shit, Mikasa, I would never do that! Just shut up and let me explain this!" I suddenly barked. The sudden accusation that I would get some poor women pregnant and then marry her for compensation was harsh, even for someone like Mikasa to suddenly say. "J-Just, just calm down and breathe. I'll explain everything once you do." I said, taking on a calmer tone and hoping she'd listen better.

It seemed to work, because she stopped pacing and stood in place to breathe. I watched her shoulders slump after a particularly heavy breath, and finally I could see the nerves on her calming down.

"Okay, you may want to sit down; it's a long story." I said. Mikasa groaned pitifully before dragging her feet over to our sofa and sitting down. I sat down beside her, placing a hand over hers in her lap in an attempt to calm her down. "Alright, so a few days ago, Rivaille told me that his great grand-"

"I knew that little fuck had something to do with this." She growled.

"Stop it, Mikasa. Just listen. He may end up being your favorite person in this story." I said. Mikasa growled a little more before the pouting began. "He told me his grandparents were going to visit, and he needed someone to play… "Housewife" with him while they stayed in America for a couple of weeks."

I didn't need to say much after that. The wires clicked in her head fast (She's smart, what less did I imagine?), and she immediately blew up.

"_Hell no!"_ She shouted and stood up, nearly knocking me off of the couch in the process.

"Just hear me out!" I had to yell over her. My ever so loving sister bit her lower lip before plopping back down onto the couch again. "I know, it's weird, but he's paying our way through college because of this. All I have to do is play his partner for two weeks and that's it."

"What do you mean he's paying our way through college?" She asked, her eyes narrowing into slits.

"This is part of our deal. He said he has so much money with nothing to spend it on. Mikasa, he's going to pay us both and make our lives easier. All it takes is just this. You can quit your job and focus on school, and we can get out of this dump and go live in a better place, away from this shithole." I continued to explain. I could see the wheels in her head turning, reading through this whole situation and calculating everything I was saying.

Good, that first half of the battle was over and the cards were in my hands.

"This will make our whole lives easier, and all I have to do is-"

"Yeah, I know, be his wife." She grumbled out, interrupting me (Why does everyone assume I would be the girl in this relationship?).

I stayed quiet after that, knowing she had gotten the full story and she didn't want to hear any more about it. I knew if I pushed the subject, she may force me not to do this, no matter how beneficial it would be for us. All I hoped was that she didn't get prideful and say she didn't want to owe him money, even though I was kind of earning it. "So… You were with him last night?" She asked, hesitance obvious.

"Yeah, I stayed at his place." I explained.

Don't say any more than what she asks for. Don't over explain things. Give her only what she wants.

"You're just to make his grandparents happy?"

"Yes, his great grandparents." I corrected.

"Have you… Met them yet?"

Uh oh. She was already thinking of ways to back out of this.

"Yeah, they came here all the way from France." I said.

Lay a guilt trip. Make her realize that I can't back down. They came all the way from France to meet me, and that was important.

"What are they like?" She asked.

Okay, now she's sizing them up. She knows that, if they're anything like Levi, she will immediately force me home.

"Really sweet; his great grandfather is really funny and his great grandmother is so kind. She made Levi and I breakfast this morning, but I promised to come here, so I only ate a bit of it." I had to throw in those details, just to prove how nice they were.

"Okay," She mumbled, her eyes looking to the floor, deep in thought. "So… If you're playing this, this "game" with him, does that mean you two have kissed?" She asked.

_Oh shit._

"No, n-not yet. We're trying to avoid doing things like that without raising suspicions." I wasn't going to tell her about the heated make out session I had with him half an hour ago. I knew if I did, she would truly kill him.

"… Are you _okay?"_ She asked, and I didn't miss her voice shaking slightly while her black eyes finally looked up to meet mine. I offered up a weak smile and rubbed her head.

"Of course I am. His grandparents are treating me like family and Levi's being kind…" Honestly, he was, but it was all just an act. I caught the small glimpse of something in her eyes, no doubt she realized that herself. "Mikasa, I'm doing this for us…" I mumbled.

"… You're going to do it regardless, aren't you?" She asked with a grumble in defeat. I grinned widely before draping myself over her in an overbearing hug.

"Thank you, Mikasa!" I cheered against her neck. I could hear her grumbling, pouting really, because I had won. Boy, did I love to win, but it wasn't much a win, nor was it much of a consolation prize. I could only hope that these two weeks would go by fast.

"Please, Eren, just be careful." She pleaded while hugging me back.

"Of course. Honestly, the area he lives in is filled with security." I explained while sitting up. Mikasa rolled her eyes and blew her bangs out of her face.

"That's not what I meant, but that's a good thing to know." She said.

"What do you mean then?" I asked.

"I don't want you getting hurt by _him_, by him, or his grandparents." Her lips formed a frown, and her eyes drifted down. "We've lost enough family…" She muttered. I managed another weak smile, but it wasn't like that. I wouldn't get too close to them. I wouldn't get attached to him or them.

This was a simple contract between us, a business deal if I wanted to look at it like that. That's all it was, and it only lasted for two weeks. If I wanted to count like some person with OCD, it was now thirteen days. That was all that was left.

"I won't let it happen like that, Mikasa, I promise." I patted her head again, and finally, that small, rare smile appeared on her lips.

"Alright…" She mumbled and held out her arms for a hug. I returned it gratefully, my hands giving a few assuring pats to her back before I pulled away.

"Maybe I can pull Levi's leg a little and you can meet them, so that way you can see that I'm being treated fairly. They really are sweet, and I'm sure they'd love to meet you." I said.

"I guess that wouldn't hurt…" She shrugged her shoulders. I sighed a little before standing up and raising my arms above my head to stretch my sore muscles.

"That'll have to be later though. I have to get my stuff before he and his grandparents get back." I groaned a little, and distantly I heard Mikasa do the same thing. I knew she wasn't going to be happy about this. I think I was only ever separated from her for a total of three days, and that was for camp in sixth grade. Three days, and she knocked me to the floor in a bear hug when I got back. She frantically said that she was bored out of her mind, that my best friend, Armin, and she had missed me terribly and that I wasn't allowed to leave home ever again.

If three days was tough for her, and she couldn't sleep through last night without me, I was afraid to find out how hard two weeks would be for her.

* * *

**A/N: So, it's come to the point where I'm no longer ahead of myself with this story. I have to write the chapters as I go instead of having them prepared for you guys weeks ahead of schedule. I'll try my best to get them out on time for you guys, but I have lots of other fanfics to take care of that are long past their date of updates. X'D NOW! Time for some plugging. Go check out my other fanfictions... Have a nice day. XD**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I love how everyone wants a POV of Levi. XD You guys are awesome though! I checked today, and I have 57 reviews. Holy shit! I love you guys so much. ^^ Thank you for those reviews! I feel like those make me grow as a writer, and since I'm trying to finish my own book and get it published, I really like to know that people like my stories! So thank you so much!**

**On another note, school starts in nine days for me, and I'm looking for another job (The new management is mean and I miss my old managers! T^T I miss that family I trained with!). So while that's going on, I seriously have no life. I'm just hoping for a weekend job as a waitress, nothing big like working for a lawyer. XD Anyway, that's about it for updates. Wee~ *throws confetti* So, hope you all enjoy this new chapter! We are about to get into some serious stuff that doesn't border humor. There will be plenty of humor, no worries, but for now, here comes the serious~...**

**Have a great week! :D**

**-Misty**

**Song of the day: All Eyes on Me**

**By: Nano**

* * *

**A Forged Wedding****  
**

* * *

**Modern AU, based off of the Japanese game:****  
****"I... Don't think I heard you right. What did you just ask me, Rivaille?"****  
****"I'm asking you to marry me for a month. How did you not hear me right?"****  
**

* * *

**Rated M for sexual content, adult language, violence, mentions of child abuse****  
****Couple: Riren (Rivaille and Eren)****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack On Titan)****  
**

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**Chapter: 6**

**The Office Visit**

* * *

My fingers idly typed away at my keyboard, my lips forming a long frown at the proposal I was eyeballing. After a few seconds, I figured out a way to rewrite my sentence, and I did just that. When done with that, I gave a proud smirk before sending out the proposal in an email to Levi.

"Done!" I cheered and leaned back in my chair.

"You sound so cheery today, Eren." Petra giggled from her office.

"I finally got that fucking document done and sent to Rivaille! I can breathe!" I proclaimed with a heavy breath and laid my poor head down on my hands.

"That's great to hear. That makes our jobs easier." Aurou grumbled from his office. I snorted before closing my eyes and taking a moment to breathe.

I was honestly feeling pretty good about myself. Even though I had just spent the past two days living with Levi and his great grandparents, it had been a pretty refreshing break, so when coming in to work today, I was ready to work and work hard, which I had. I had been speedy with my work, and this now left me plenty of time to relax. If I was allowed to, I could easily go home and relax, maybe even take a nap, but then I remembered that my home was temporarily at Levi's. Even if I was allowed to leave, Levi's grandparents are home and waiting for us to return.

"What are you going to do now?" Petra asked while peeking over the divider.

"Do you think I'd get caught if I slept here? I could try sleeping with my eyes open..." I suggested in a mumble.

"Could try, but you should wait and see what Levi has to say before that. He may need revisions on that report." She explained carefully.

"Way to kill my mood..." I grumbled, but she was right. Levi may need revisions, as he always does, so I should try to stay awake... For now.

"Sorry, Eren, but it's just a precaution. If it were me, I would let you sleep all day." She said with a bright smile she tried to show by standing on her toes to reveal her face better.

"That's wonderful to hear, but unfortunately, you aren't the boss."

"Fortunately," We heard Aurou say from his office.

"Bite your tongue off." Petra grumbled and sunk back into her chair.

"Oh my, what's got Petra in a bad mood?" I looked over my shoulder to see Hanji leaning on the edge of my divider, _thankfully_, without a creepy mask on her face.

"Aurou," I said, plain and simple.

"Oh, okay," She shrugged it off as if it were nothing, because it really was nothing. The two fought enough for us to know and _learn_ to simply ignore them.

"So what brings you over here?" I spun around in my chair to face her and asked.

"Levi wants to see you," She responded, and her eyebrows wiggled up and down.

"Oh god, mother fudging, son of a pig..." I knew that if I swore, Petra would hear me, and she wasn't one who cared for vulgar language. I find that funny and ironic considering who she was married to for a decade.

"Eren, such a potty mouth." Hanji joked with sarcasm.

"I know; I'm worse than Rivaille." I replied with a smirk of triumph. I could hear her, along with Petra, giggling at the remark as I left to go see what Levi wanted. I really hoped that it didn't have to do with work... Or home... Or either, for that matter.

I was so comfortable relaxing. I wasn't in the mood for being yelled at. I had built up my self-esteem and happiness within the short time span of a few hours, and I didn't want Levi wrecking that, but if that were to be the case, I couldn't help it. All I could do was sit there and take whatever punishment he threw at me.

My head dropped, my chin hitting my color bone in despair as I knocked on Levi's office. A quick reply came from within, and I entered without another thought.

Levi was sitting on his desk, feet swinging with nothing better to do (it wasn't like he was tall enough for his feet to touch the floor), and hands filled with paper work. No doubt that was the paper work I had just sent him.

"Hey, you wanted to see me?" I asked as I entered the room.

"Yeah," He replied, more of a mumble though, and set the paperwork down. "I never actually got the chance to say this, what with my grandparents clinging onto us for hours on end." He said as he leaned back against his desk. "Thank you for all of this." He said.

"Wait," I lifted my head, my eyes glaring daggers at him. "You're thanking me?"

"When people say thank you, that's the general idea of the saying." He retorted.

"You're thanking me?" In a fit of terrible sarcasm, I fell against his couch and clutched at my shirt over my heart. "I'm having a heart attack!" I cried.

"Why do they like you?" He grumbled and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"So they're really enjoying me, huh?" I asked after finishing up my little act.

"Yeah, especially my grandmother; she loves you." He stated, sounding a little bored.

"It's nice to know I'm doing well then." I said. "But who would suspect us after that kiss a few days ag-

"As I was saying before," He interrupted. "Thank you. You're really helping me out here and you're earning your money well." He said.

"Well... You're welcome," I said, still baffled by his words. "And here I was preparing to get yelled at for my report." I rubbed my shoulders as a sign of relief.

"Besides your horrendous grammar and spelling errors, the report itself is fine."

And down went my self-esteem.

"Thanks," I replied quietly. I sighed before turning in my seat to sit on the rim of the couch. "So I'm really doing okay with your grandparents?" I asked.

"Yeah, surprisingly. You should hear how my grandmother talks about you: "Il est très mignon, il est très adorable, Je pense que c'est un très bon acteur..." He continued on with a few more sayings, and all I could do was stare him down in confusion.

"Wow, she loves me!" I exclaimed with more sarcasm.

"She really does. Those were all compliments. She thinks you're adorable and nice."

"Adorable? Nice I can understand, but adorable?" I questioned.

"She's French, what are you gonna do?" He asked and I chuckled to myself. "I don't see it, of course," He added.

"Thanks, my oh so loving wife," I groaned.

"You're the wife." He stated and jumped off of his desk.

"Is there something about me that makes me the wife?" I asked. "Even Mikasa said the same thing." Levi looked over his shoulder for a moment, letting quiet slip between us before he looked back at the paperwork. I heard him mumble something under his breath, but I didn't catch it. "What?"

"Nothing," He said and shook his head.

"No seriously, what is it?"

"Nothing," He said again.

"What is it?" I whined loudly, hoping to annoy him enough into telling me. If I knew one thing about Levi, I knew that he had a lack of patience and didn't like to be annoyed. This I knew _well._ "Come oooon, tell me! Tell me!"

"I said there's no way you're a top player." He finally admitted, though, not without some annoyance.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"I don't know. It's something about you." He stated.

"Something about me?" I questioned before a knock on Levi's office door pulled us both out of the odd atmosphere.

"Oh Levi," Hanji beamed with her big, goofy, trademark grin.

"What is it, shitty glasses?" Levi asked, his irritation very obvious. It wasn't like he was trying to hide it.

"Oh, such a foul tone," She stated. "Here I was coming to give you good news, and you bark at me." She pouted.

"If Erwin needs something signed, tell him I'll sign it in a fucking minute." Levi growled.

"No, that's not it. Is that what you consider good news?" She asked and placed a finger to her cheek. "How interesting…"

"I consider you leaving me alone the best news of my life." He came back with.

"Fine, I'll leave, but first, I wanted to tell you that your grandparents are here." She stated bluntly, and then left as abruptly as she came in.

"What?" I suddenly jumped up from the couch in utter shock. Levi had the decency to look as shocked as I did for once and immediately ran to his shut door. He opened and peeked through, and after a quiet second, he cursed and slammed his fist into the side of the wall.

"They're here..." He grumbled and shut his door.

"What are they doing here?" I asked, panic rushing through me fast.

"Hell if I know!" He barked.

"Shit, if they start saying things to the others, to Petra- Oh god!" I couldn't fathom any of their reactions, especially Petra's, but I was sure they'd all be bad. I couldn't bear it if she hated me. After all, Petra was the person who helped me the most when I first started working here. She became a close friend to me very quickly, and I couldn't handle it if I lost that relationship with her.

I hid my head down between my hands, trying to hide, though I didn't know what good it would do; it wasn't much cover.

"Eren, stop," Levi commanded. "Just stay here for a second, okay?" He left then, leaving the door cracked open, which I promptly peeked through. I watched him stand for a moment, staring as our friends welcome them with open arms. When Petra entered the picture, his grandparents were ecstatic. They hugged her, kissed her cheek, and she hugged back with just as much vigor.

I hadn't known that they were all still friendly with each other. It was nice to know that, and that it was one last thing I needed to worry about.

"Grand-mère, grand-père!" Petra cheered into the hug. "Tu me manques!"

That one is new, even for me. I had no idea Petra spoke French.

"Petra, Tu es belle, comme d'habitude." Levi's grandmother said.

"Merci," Petra's blush was so vivid that I could see it from where I was hiding.

"Grandma, grandpa," Levi finally stepped in. The two of them offered hugs, to which Levi regretfully gave back, but he was obviously not in the mood for a grand reunion. "What are you doing here? You know I don't like it when you come to my office." Levi stated flatly.

"Well we wanted to bring our little boy some lunch." His grandmother said and gestured to the picnic basket in her lap. "That and we wanted to see how our boys were doing at w-"

"Okay! Let's go have lunch then!" Levi rudely yelled, but he did it to hide their voices and evidence. Levi immediately grabbed at his grandmother's wheelchair and wheeled her into his office, and his grandfather followed at his slow pace. "You should really give me more of a warning before you come here." I heard Levi grumble to his grandmother as they entered the office.

"It was supposed to be a surprise!" His grandmother whined.

"And we are very surprised." I said, completely and utterly exasperated.

"Oh there you are, Eren." She cooed. I walked over to her and hugged her, careful of the picnic basket in her lap. At the same time, Levi helped shuffled his grandfather into the room and shut the door behind them. I distantly heard it lock in place, keeping us safe.

"Seriously, why did you come here?" Levi suddenly interrogated.

"Lunch," His grandmother whined again and held out the picnic basket. I took it from her with a smile and set it down on the coffee table. "We just wanted to take care of our boy's." She pouted again.

"Don't be so mad, Levi. They just wanted to do something nice for us." I said to make her feel better. She smiled up at me and patted my hand.

"Thank you, Eren." She said.

"Don't be so hard on us, Levi." His grandfather scolded.

"I'm sorry, I just... I'm surprised." He admitted with a shrug of the shoulders. "But today wasn't a very good day to do this."

"Why is that?" His grandfather asked as he sat down on the couch.

"... We were working," Levi begrudgingly admitted, though it was so weak and pathetic, even_ I_ could do better.

"Well now you're on your lunch break." His grandmother said as she unpacked the basket. "Come, sit, and eat." She instructed. I did as told, because I had a feeling that I shouldn't get on her bad side, hers specifically. Levi let out an irritated sigh as he came over to the couch and sat down next to me. His grandfather sat down in the plush chair across from the couch, and now we were all seated as Levi's grandmother set up the food.

It seemed like she had brought the whole kitchen with her. She had cups, plates, bowls, spoons, forks, and knives, and I don't even know how she made that all fit with the food. It wasn't a relatively big basket. She pulled out a freshly baked role of bread, a bowl filled with salad, and another bowl of cooked chicken slices, and if that didn't make my mouth water, she had a plate of chocolate cake on top, with whipped butterscotch icing. All of this was sitting in this basket with a closed jar filled with cold water. I knew it was cold, because I could see the transpiration slipping down the sides.

"Is this lunch or the last meal of my life?" I asked as she began handing plates to everyone. The question got her to laugh.

"When my grandmother cooks, she goes all out." Levi said, but he sounded tired. He must have been after this surprise.

"I hope you boys like it. I made lots of it, so don't be stingy." She said.

"Don't mind if I do!" I interjected with a hand in the air.

"He'll probably eat most of it. Eren eats like he's been starved of food for weeks on end." Levi said as he began picking away at the salad. I didn't take offense from that; it was true. In fact, I consider it a compliment. I've been told by everyone that I eat like that, but I am more aware of it than anyone else.

"That's good to hear. The boy could stand a little more weight. You're as thin as a bone." His grandfather said and poked at my hand with a fork.

"Which is odd considering how much I eat." I agreed and began shoveling chicken into my mouth.

"Don't do that, dear. You'll choke," His grandmother said. I nodded my head instead of speaking out loud, knowing I may disgust Levi and his grandparents if I talked with my mouth full. I made my own plate of food: Salad sprinkled with chicken, a slice of the bread role smothered in butter, and a cold cup of water.

This was practically heaven. I remembered the days, when my parents were still alive, and I would have picnics at the beach with Mikasa and Armin. This brought back wonderful memories. I only hoped I wouldn't break down and cry in front of them.

"So," I began, trying to derail my thoughts. "Levi, how long has Petra been able to speak French?" I asked.

"She took four years of it in high school with me." Levi said with a piece of bread at his lips.

"Wait, you took French in high school? You're from France, why did you do that?" I asked.

"Because I was sixteen and I wanted an easy grade." He said with a smirk.

"Gee, and now I am wishing I was Spanish." I grumbled. "Would have made my GPA go up."

"You're smart, just lazy, Eren." Levi stated.

"Am not," I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Says your report." He retorted.

"Oh bite me." I scoffed and took a sip of my drink.

"Later," Another trademark smirk of his was on his lips as I choked on my water.

"Levi, not in front of them!" I gasped when I could breathe again. His grandparents laughed, so I guessed that they didn't take any offense in the crude comment their great grandson made.

After that, we talked a lot about everything and anything. I was the one asking the most questions, asking them where they were born, (his grandfather was a military brat and his grandmother was the daughter of a rich man who owned a wine orchard), how they met in school, what they did for jobs, and when they retired. I talked until the food was gone and I had completely exhausted all of the appropriate questions I could ask them. It thrilled them that I was so interested in them, I could tell by the bright glint of happiness in their eyes, something one couldn't fake, and it made me happy to know I was doing my job right.

"Oh my, we've been talking about ourselves now for far too long. Please Eren, tell us about yourself." His grandmother said with a light hearted laugh. I was surprised by the comment, my face making both of his grandparents laugh some more, but I cleared my throat and sat up.

"Oh, okay. Well... Um..." I was at a total loss. "What do you want to know?" I asked.

"Well, what's your family like?" His grandfather asked.

"Oh, uh... Well, I have a sister. She's adopted, but we don't honestly remember that sometimes." I said, trying to avoid all of the hard topics.

"Well where was she from originally?" His grandma asked.

"Japan. After her family moved here, her parents were in a car accident, funny enough on the way to come see my dad. He was a doctor, and her mother had been sick lately." I explained while rubbing the back of my neck in a habit of nervousness.

"How wonderful! And what are your parents like?" His grandmother asked.

Uh oh. This is the topic I didn't want to bridge.

"Uhm... Well, I already said my dad was a doctor, but my mother was a seamstress and waitress. She always worked a lot, but she did it for Mikasa and I." I looked to the floor. I hadn't talked about my family like this for years, maybe even since my parents died.

"Was? Did something happen?" His grandpa asked.

"Yeah, uhm... They were in a car accident when I was seventeen. Drove off a bridge into an icy lake or something like that. It's been a while since I thought about it." I sighed when I felt the tension in the air. I didn't want to bring down the happy atmosphere, but what was I supposed to do? I had to lie, and it wasn't a good one either.

I hated this, hated it so much that it physically hurt, but if I told them what really happened, what would they think of me then? I had to make it seem like a good, well rounded marriage. I wasn't ruining it with the truth.

It was no good.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Eren." His grandmother said softy and leaned across the table to pat my knee. "Death is never an easy thing, especially for family."

"Yeah... But, hey, I still have Mikasa, and now I have Levi." I wrapped an arm around Levi's shoulder, which he promptly responded by lacing his fingers in with mine and kissing my jaw. I didn't mind this kiss, being something so small, but there was something really off about it. It was almost like he was saying sorry to me as well, but silently and in a way that wouldn't blow our cover.

"That's right, and you also have us. We're your family as well, Eren." His grandfather spoke up. Honestly, the statement made me want to cry, for more reasons than one. The first was just the statement itself. Armin used to say that to me when I was down, and I missed him enough as it was, and also, because it was so sweet, so kind, and so thoughtful of them to say that.

That was why I wanted to cry.

I was lying. I was a lying son if a bitch. I lied to Levi's grandparents, I lied to _Levi._ I wasn't really married to Levi, wasn't really a part of his family, and here they were being so kind to me. I didn't deserve that affection and love.

"Eren, I'd love to meet your sister soon." His grandmother spoke, breaking me from my deep and personal thoughts. "Does she live anywhere nearby?" She asked.

"Yes, not far actually. I was just telling her about you guys. She felt the same way, but she's got public school and a job, so we'll have to set a specific date." I suggested with a smile.

"That'd be lovely." His grandmother cooed. "Could we possibly see some old family photos? I'm very curious to see where you got your looks from." She stated.

"Oh grandmother..." Levi sighed against my shoulder. "Why don't you just barge into his sister's place and look around yourself?"

"It's okay, Levi. I know I'm good looking." I mused and nuzzled my head into his hair.

"Well, I'm more interested in your eyes." His grandmother said. "They're the brightest green I've ever seen."

"Yeah, my friend used to say that they looked like the ocean." I stated.

"That's the color I'm thinking of!" His grandmother suddenly snapped her fingers together, but her skin was so soft that it didn't make a sound. "I couldn't pin the name to the color."

"She's losing her mind..." Levi's grandfather sighed. I chuckled again, and that tense and terrible atmosphere disappeared, and it remained a figment of imagination the rest of the time.

His grandparents didn't stay for much longer, considering we ate dessert rather fast. After that, Levi made sure they fully left the building before finally relaxing, as did I. Besides a few parting words to Hanji and Petra, there was nothing explained between Levi and I's arrangement. They left, and once hidden in the office again, we both collapsed onto his couch with sighs of relief leaving us both.

"Holy fuck..." Levi cursed and rubbed his forehead.

"That was more trouble than it was worth." I mumbled.

"I'm sorry about them. My grandmother knows nothing of privacy or space. Have I mentioned that yet?" He asked. "She used to do this to Petra and I all the time. It was annoying then and it's fucking annoying now." He grumbled angrily.

"They were trying to be nice though. We can't really be mad at them for that." I said with a small chuckle.

"Petra said that every five minutes my grandmother called me on my honeymoon with Petra." Levi groaned. I laughed at that, but with the tone of his voice, I knew he was telling the truth. I couldn't say I was so surprised, however, because she really seemed like the type of person to do that. "Again, I'm sorry. Thank you for putting up with them."

"Oh please. What's life without a few surprises?" I asked with sarcasm, but I was physically and mentally drained of energy after that surprise.

"Well yeah... You were quite a surprise." He mumbled.

"I'm sorry for not saying something better. I knew that, if I lied, they'd see right through it. No point in making them suspicious about anything."

"So it was a true then." He made it sound like more of a statement, but I heard the question within the sentence.

"Yep, I'm a fucked up person." I said with a laugh, but I did it again. I lied to him as well.

"Sorry to hear about your parents then." He said. I stood up and patted my pants off from imaginary crumbs.

"It's not that big of a deal. It happened a long time ago, so I'm over it." I sighed.

"Eren," Levi interrupted, and I heard that authority in his voice. I turned back to look at him to see that he'd already stood up, but he's at his desk before I can even take in a breath of air scented with the smell of chicken. "You aren't really twenty-eight years old, Eren; you're twenty. What happened, happened three years ago." He stated rather boldly.

"So...?" I questioned.

"You don't have to act like it doesn't hurt."


	7. Chapter 7

**Edit 1/2: I editededed everything, so it has been proofread, and one thing was added, but it really is unimportant XD. Thank you vamptigergal for pointing those out!**

**A/N: I have to say that I don't like this chapter. It just didn't come out like ow it was written in my head, and I hate it when that happens. I would have paid more attention to it, but I have my first day of school Monday, and one more chapter of another fanfic I need to get done, plus some cosplay and a drawing. Dear lord. XD**

**Anyway, people, we're almost at 100 reviews! Seriously, this is the most reviews, follows, favorites, and views I've ever gotten on a fanfic ever here! Thank you so much! I looked at my Traffic Graph, and there are people literally all over the world reading my fanfic. I can't thank you enough! All I can do is give you more chapters for entertainment. XD ****So! Without further a due, da fanfic!  
**

**-Misty**

**Song of the day: What Hurts the Most**

**By: Cascada**

**WARNING: Mentions of child abuse. :1**

* * *

**A Forged Wedding****  
**

* * *

**Modern AU, based off of the Japanese game:****  
****"I... Don't think I heard you right. What did you just ask me, Rivaille?"****  
****"I'm asking you to marry me for a month. How did you not hear me right?"****  
**

* * *

**Rated M for sexual content, adult language, violence, mentions of child abuse****  
****Couple: Riren (Rivaille and Eren)****  
****Anime: Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack On Titan)****  
**

* * *

**Chapter: 7****  
****The Belt****  
**

* * *

"Oh come ooon!" I whined as I pushed at the attic door.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Levi asked from behind me, and I could just hear his smirk on his lips.

"No, I-It's just a bit..." I paused and rammed my shoulder into the door. The hinges suddenly went loose, as well as the door, which flew open into the attic and left me falling to the dusty floor. The sudden loss of air from the impact had me gasping for air, and when the dust filled my lungs, I choked on it. I heard Levi walk in, and when I looked to him, he'd taken out a tissue to cover his mouth. "Stuck..." I finished while panting.

"God, Jaeger, it's called a maid service." He groaned as he looked around the small attic.

Honestly, it wasn't a real attic. The reason Mikasa and I got our apartment so cheap was because one of the apartments wasn't finished. One of the rooms was just wood floors and nails sticking out of the walls, no windows, and pipes showed. It was meant to be another bedroom with a mini bathroom, but we said it was fine the way it was and took it. We used the room to store things, but since we moved here after our parents died, we haven't opened it since.

"We can't afford a maid, Rivaille." I muttered as I stood up and wiped off my body of the crap load of dust I had on me. "Besides, it's an attic, it's meant to be dusty."

"Shitty attic," He scoffed and kicked at a small box on the floor.

"Hey, be careful! Some of the things in these boxes are breakable!" I informed him. Levi rolled his eyes and walked around in the room to look into the boxes that were open. I could hear him grumbling to himself, stating how he wouldn't be in this shithole if it wasn't for his grandmother wanting pictures of my family. I simply ignored him and started picking away at a box.

We didn't have a lot of photos, and the ones we did have we buried away. It was hard for Mikasa and I to look at the pictures after my family died, so we hid them for a while until we felt we were ready to move on. We never did pull them back out. The only ones out only consisted of my mother, and I had them in my room at the time. Even if I wanted to use those pictures, I couldn't, because in all of those pictures of us, I had some form of injury on me.

Necessarily, I wasn't proud, but they were all I had.

I heard Levi looking around in a box behind me, no doubt hoping to speed up the search for pictures so he could get out of this dirty area. I would normally disagree with him if it weren't for the fact that the dust was making me dizzy and a little tired. Any longer in here and I was sure to faint, so I continued my search.

The first picture I found was of Mikasa, Armin, and I at the park. This was one my father took, and behind us was my mother. She had her arms wrapped around all three of us, a big, large grin on her face. I wanted to use this picture for Levi's grandparents, but then I saw the reason I couldn't. I had a black eye in the picture.

"No good..." I muttered to myself and moved through more pictures. I found two more photos, one of my mother and me in the bathtub when I was five (I was getting the head scrubbing of a life time), and the other was of my dad in the front seat of my his car with me in his lap. He was letting me "pretend" to drive, and I remember adding all sorts of car sounds to make it realistic. Besides the one of me in the bathtub, the one of me in my father's lap worked well.

"Did you find anything yet?" Levi asked irritably.

"Just this one." I held up the picture to show Levi. "Does your grandmother care how many pictures we bring?" I asked.

"No, but I'm sure she's expecting some scrape book shit." He groaned while looking at the picture. "So that's your mom?"

"No, that's my dad." I laughed when I saw the way his eyes widened just a margin. "He just liked long hair."

"Guess you didn't inherit that, did you?" He jokingly asked.

"At first I tried, but I'd be damned if that hair didn't get into my face all of the time. I'm perfectly fine with how my hair is now." I stated, rather proud of myself. I didn't care if my hair was dry and unmanageable. It was out of my face, and that was all I cared for.

"Got any pictures like that?" Levi asked as he looked into the box. Totally bypassing the picture of me naked and in the tub, Levi rummaged around a little more until he found a picture of my father, Mikasa, and I sitting on the couch, watching old Christmas reruns. "What about this one?" He asked.

"Uh..." I took a closer look at the picture, and in that one, I had a black eye too; a black eye and a busted lip.

"Wait..." Levi obviously saw the injuries to me when I did, and I snatched it out of his hands.

"That's not a good one. Let me find one of my mom instead." I insisted and pushed it back into the box. I felt Levi's stare linger on me for a moment before I saw him from the corner of my eyes shrug and walk to another box behind me. I let out an internal sigh when I felt the tension relax from my shoulders.

I continued my search, the talking long since gone. I found three pictures that I considered good. One was just my parents wedding photo. I was four months old, but apparently I had been a quiet mouse the entire time (which I consider odd since I talk too much now). The second was when we painted my and Mikasa's room for the first time. Mikasa and I had argued over colors, and in an attempt to make a resolution (and to shut us up), my moth stuck her hands in both paint buckets and drew all over the walls. The picture was of all of us covered in blue and purple paint and our walls an utter mess of hand prints.

The third and final one was our first day to school. Mikasa and I were walking hand in hand with my dad, and he was walking us up to our school building. I had my thumb in my mouth, a nervous habit I had when I was younger, and Mikasa was her calm, demure self, per the usual. I remembered my mother crying behind the camera too, so I know this picture spoke a lot of words more than it showed. It was a little crumpled at the corners, but I didn't think Levi's grandparents would care.

I heard Levi pulling open some boxes and looking through them, but I didn't think anything of it. The memories, though a bit angst, were nostalgic, and it had me smiling.

"Hey, what's this?" Levi's voice suddenly asked from behind me. I set down the photos I had been holding to look at what Levi was holding, and my breath caught in my throat. He had pulled out a belt from a box, the only thing that had been in that box. It had my blood running cold, startling me to the point where I backed up at the sight of it and knocked over the boxes stacked on top of each other.

"W-Where did you get that?" It was obvious where he got it from, but the question came out anyway, but not without a small stutter as I tried to collect myself.

"It was in this box." Levi pointed down to the box and said. "It was the only thing in there."

"Alright, c-could you put it down now?" I asked, again with another stutter. I was losing my composure fast.

"Why was it the only thing in here? Is it important or something, like, special leather?" He asked as he began to inspect the belt.

"No, n-no, it's not, but please-"

"What's this on the end here?" Levi started picking away at the red crust imbedded into the buckle of the belt; seeing him mess with it made me lose my nerves.

_"Put it down, Levi!"_ I suddenly barked. Levi immediately stopped as instructed and looked up at me, more surprised than angry at my outburst. Any other time, had I yelled at him, he would have beaten me senseless. Now, however, he could see that I really meant it. He did as told, dropping the belt back into the box without a passing glance, and I felt the rush of guilt hit me.

I just yelled at him for nothing. He didn't do anything wrong and he didn't know any better, and I yelled at him for it.

I was just like _him._

I burst out of the makeshift attic without another word. I cupped my hand over my mouth to stop any odd sounds from coming out as I paced my way over to the balcony, needing fresh air. As soon as I was outside, I collapsed onto the metal railing, my forehead pressing into the cold railing and my breathing coming out in ragged puffs of air. My body shook furiously with anxiety, and the cold railing did help some, but it wasn't enough. I ended up sinking to my knees, my hands clinging to the poles as lifelines while my legs went to hang over the edge and dangle uselessly.

The guilt was enough, but the fear was still present, as if it were right behind me. I couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to run. The anxiety was crushing me, and I had no idea what to do to make it go away. I knew I was supposed to breathe and release the tension in my muscles, but that was too much to ask for right now.

A couple of minutes went by before I heard Levi shuffle outside. He sat down next to me, copying my sitting position by dangling his legs past the railing, but instead of pressing his forehead into the railing like I was, he leaned back on his hands. A few minutes of just silence went by between us. The only audible sound was me heaving obnoxious gasps of air to calm down.

"Look, it isn't any of my business to know what went on, but maybe if you talk about it, it'll calm you down." He stated flatly and in a bored time. I swallowed thickly, my throat closing tight.

"N-No," I sounded like shit, and I knew I was. "I don't want to bother you..."

"It wouldn't bother me. I couldn't give two shits let alone one." Another bored statement from him, but the bit of annoyance I heard in his voice made me relax a little. It was that bit of normalcy I wanted.

"I'm sorry for biting your head off..." I mumbled dejectedly.

"It's fine. You have your reasons..." After that, more silence fell. This time, the time period was long and boring, but that was okay. In that time, I was able to form coherent thoughts and remembered my tips for my anxiety. I was able to breathe, though my heart still pounded hard within my chest and made it hard to swallow.  
It was like my heart was lodged in my throat, and it didn't want to go back into my chest. Fuck, that feeling sucked massively.

"Feeling any better?" Levi broke the silence by asking.

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm good." I assured with a nod of my head.

"You look as if you want to vomit over this railing." He pointed out. Yeah, I assumed I was pretty pale by now, but some of my color should have started to come back by now.

"Sorry..." I muttered.

"If you're going to vomit, warn me so I can run." He instructed. I laughed a little, but I wasn't at all nauseous, just exhausted. The happenings of today was just too much for someone like me to handle, but even with my tired and dull senses, even with my fried nerves that leave my limps dangling over the railing, I know that I did something wrong. I still have to make it up to Levi, who I so crudely yelled at.

"Sorry, f-for yelling I mean."

"I already said it was fine. You have your reasons after all." He mumbled and looked over the railing when we heard a car honk. I looked down too to see two cars stuck in a T position, one trying to pull out and the other driver being an ass and trying to get into his parking spot. "Some people are such asses." Levi remarked.

I only hum in response, my eyes closing as I listening to the honking below. Those people down there aren't nearly as much of assholes as I am.

"Yeah, that's going to help them a lot." Levi muttered when the one car tried pulling into the space before the other was out.

"My father used to beat me…" I announced, breaking the silence that fell after Levi stopped talking. I could feel his stare on me without even having to look. I could feel the tension in the air, so thick that one could cut it with a knife, and I hated having to make things awkward, but I didn't want him thinking that I freaked over something simple. To me, that belt wasn't _simple,_ far from it in fact. "W-With the belt I mean… And sometimes his fists…"

"Is that what was on the end of the belt?" He asked without hesitating. I swallowed a thick lump constricting my breathing, but it wasn't enough. If anything, it only seemed to make it harder to breathe. "Your blood…?"

"He didn't use it often." I stated timidly.

"It doesn't matter." He interrupts. "He still hit you with it." I could hear the growl in his voice, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was getting angry about this. What was there to get angry about?

"It was only when I did something wrong."

"It doesn't matter!" The sudden sharpness spooks me into finally looking at him. He seems just as surprised that he snapped as I am, and he immediately looked away with a heavy sigh, his fingers rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"I just didn't want you thinking that I was weird for reacting to something so normal." I mumbled, my head falling in guilt. I hadn't meant for things to turn out this way.

"Is that what you call normal?" He asked, gritting his teeth. "Getting beaten for doing something wrong? What, did you spill milk on the carpet?" He had meant it as a joke, but my silence had answered for him.

Of course I had. I'd colored on the walls and stayed up past my bedtime, all the things normal kids did. I just assumed I had done something more to make my father so mad at me and beat me.

"Eren," He sighed again. "Don't… Think like that. I know what you're thinking, so don't think like that."

"You don't know what I am thinking." I accused.

"Oh really…? You aren't challenging me, are you, Jaeger?" He asked. I simply looked away, my eyes falling to the ground. The confrontation below us had long since settled, leaving things a little quiet. "You're thinking that you did something the other kids your age didn't that made him hit you. You're thinking maybe it was just you."

"Maybe you were the reason. Maybe he didn't like how you handled things, and even when you did something right, just to get his attention, he never seemed to notice, and you assumed that it was something you'd done wrong again." My jaw clenched painfully, my teen biting my bottom lip to keep myself from shouting. "You keep forgetting how old I am, Eren. I've seen shit you would beg the God's to rid the world of. I know exactly what you're thinking, so don't tell me otherwise."

"He apologized later. He didn't mean-"

"It doesn't matter. If he really hated himself for it, he would have never hit you again, but he did, and he'd apologize for that too." I closed my eyes to a painful extent. I really don't like remembering these kinds of things, and having everything shoved right back in my face hurts. Well, hurt is an understatement; I feel like I'm about ready to jump over the railing. "Let me guess; sometimes you did things wrong just so he'd hit you, and then he'd apologize afterwards and do something that would make you feel like you had a real father again."

"He tried…"

"He needed help. If he really wanted to, he would have done it for you."

"He cared about us!"

"So then why didn't he get help?"

"You know, the reason why I apologized to you and told you everything was because I didn't want you thinking I had yelled at you for nothing! I don't need this thrown back at me! I don't need to hear this from someone like you!" I suddenly stood up from the floor, trying to get away from Levi, but he stood up himself and grabbed at my arm. I turned around to yell, but Levi lifted my arm up so my fist was in my face.

"Did he do this too?" He asked, referring to the bite marks along the muscles of my thumb.

"Of course not, I did that!" I pulled my arm free from him, but I felt the need to stand my ground, so I didn't move.

"Why?" He asked. I looked away, my teeth biting my lip again. I really loathed talking about this.

"… Because he said if I ever made a sound, he'd hit me more, so I bit down on my hand to keep quiet." I explained.

"Really…? So why doesn't Mikasa have those kinds of scars?" He suddenly asked.

"What…?"

"He never touched her, did he?" It's the first time in a while I've felt so speechless. I don't want to explain myself anymore, and I don't want to continue this. "Did he…?"

"N-No, but-"

"Why do you think that is?"

"We got paid by the government to take care of Mikasa. If she was hurt, it would be obvious. They'd believe a little girl if she said she was beaten, but not a little boy. My excuse was always that I played too rough with Armin."

"Answer my question, Eren. Why do _you_ think that is?"

"I just said-"

"Not what you were told to say. Why do you think your father only ever hit _you?_"

"Because I did something wrong? I don't know!"

"I'm sure you do, Eren, you just don't want to admit it."

"I don't know!" I couldn't handle the yelling anymore. I tried stomping away, hoping to lock myself into my room, but Levi grabbed at my wrist again and held me in place.

"You don't want to say the answer, but you know it. We both know it; it's painfully obvious. You know that he only ever hit you, that he didn't treat you the same because he didn't care the same for you as he did Mikasa or his wife."

"Stop it, Levi-"

"Eren, believe me, I _know_ what you're thinking. I know what you thought then and I know what you'll think next. I've seen it too many times to count." Levi pulled on my arm, and without the strength to talk let alone fight back, I fell forward, my head falling against his shoulder. I know this wasn't his original plan, but he asked for it. All I could do was pray I wouldn't cry.

"Eren, he was sick. I'm sure your father loved you, but he wasn't right in the head…"

I felt the tears burning my eyes, and hesitantly I lifted my hands up to touch his sides. I felt him return the touch, his hands pressing into my shoulders. For a moment, I thought he was trying to push me away, and I tied backing up, but his arms wrapped around my shoulders and held me still. I couldn't seem to hold my composer anymore, and tears slipped out of my eyes before I could stop them, and I don't try to hold them back either. I simply kept my head on his shoulder, my nose pressing into his neck a little.

"I-I thought…" My voice cracked, making me stop to fix that, but I felt Levi shake his head.

"I know what you're thinking." He mumbled against my ear. "So you don't have to say anything… You just can't blame yourself."

"It was my fau-"

"Don't." Levi doesn't even let me finish my sentence before he pulled back to look me in the face. His hands pressed against my face, his thumb lingering under my eye where my cheekbone was just to caress it. I don't bother with the details of anything anymore; of how this is odd to be experiencing with someone I barely know, or how I'm a complete and mental wreck in front of my own boss, but none of this matters to me. I grabbed at his hands to keep them in place while he leaned forward and pressed his forehead into mine.

"I'm sorry for yelling…" I mumbled dejectedly.

"I told you, it's fine. How many times do I have to repeat myself before something can finally get through your thick skull?" He asked. I smiled at the sarcasm, happy to know that he was still able to joke with me. Because he was joking with me meant that things were normal, or as normal as normal could be between us, and it would be normal for a little while more.

"No, it's just… I sounded like my father… I yelled at you when you didn't know any better about the belt…"

"There is a big difference between you two." Levi said.

"What do you mean?"

"Eren, you were scared. You've had to grow up defending yourself, and that's what you did. What did your father have to "defend" against a kid?" I couldn't even swallow around this lump in my throat anymore. All I could do was nod my head to show that I understood what he said and then dropped it back onto his shoulder. I heard Levi sigh, almost irritably, before running his fingers through my hair.

I was sure that I had annoyed him, probably to no end; after all, I'd just revealed something about myself that only two other living people knew about me. I must have annoyed him some, even if it was just a little; hell, I'd probably be annoyed, but then again, maybe I wouldn't. If Levi had some deep, dark secret to his past, I'd listen, and no matter what, I'd probably accept it…

Well, probably. It all depends on what happened.

"This is embarrassing..." I mumbled. I couldn't even fathom how stupid I felt for breaking down like this... In front of my _boss._

"Alright," Levi pushed me off of his shoulder and patted my own as reassuringly as someone like Levi could do. "Get yourself together then. I don't want my grandmother freaking out over how bad you look."

"Do I look that pathetic?" I asked with a small chuckle and a shrug of the shoulders.

"Yeah," He answered simply. "We can say you had an allergic reaction to the dust. She'd believe it."

"What about the pictures?"

"We've got enough. If she asks for more, we'll say they're packed away. Does that sound good?"

"Mhm," Levi walked off, disappearing into the attic where I had left the pictures. I sighed, collecting my thoughts and trying to calm my frantic breathing. It was true that I was utterly pathetic right now, but some of Levi's words worked for me. I felt better, and after holding in all of that pain for three years, even though I didn't get everything off of my chest, it felt like I could breathe better.

Levi was right. Talking had helped a little. I thought about trying that trick with Mikasa, because she had a rather messed up past too. Granted, not as bad as mine, but she did. Maybe she needed to let some stress out too.

"Hey," Levi emerged from the attic, photos in hand as he walked over to me. "These were the only ones you wanted to use, right?" He asked. I nodded and took the photos from him, looking over each one once more.

"Sorry, they got crumpled." I just realized that, in my fit of panic when I saw the belt, I ended up crushing the photos in my hands. I hadn't meant to, but there were a lot of things I hadn't meant to do back there.

"It's nothing. If anything, my grandmother will probably say something about how authentic they are and blah, blah, blah." Levi wandered off again, grabbing his keys off of the coffee table that he had dropped earlier. "Fuck that noise."

"I think it's sweet," I insisted as I followed him.

"You didn't grow up with them, Eren. You wouldn't think it was so sweet had you done so." Again, another mention about Levi's past. It was a snippet, but this time it was different of his first mention of living with his grandparents. This time he said he grew up with them, unlike last time when he said he'd lived with them occasionally. I knew better than to ask questions this time, however, I was left with more questions than answers.

"Hey, wait," I said. Levi looked back at me as he opened the front door.

"What is it?" He asked. I suddenly left him by himself for a moment to grab at one of the pictures on the hutch, the one of us at Christmas. I had bruises in that photo too, all along my arms and one at the corner of my jaw, but I'd make up some story about it. Got into a fight at school, got into an accident with my bike, whatever excuses I used as a kid.

Out of all the pictures I had, this one was, _by far_, my most treasured.


End file.
